Why Am I Here?
by Yue Twili
Summary: The universe works in odd ways. At the time, I didn't give a rat's ass about it... until I somehow found myself in Red vs Blue. Not only do I have to try to survive - mentally and physically - there are some odd things happening around me. What's the truth and what isn't? That's the question I've been wondering for a while... SI. Rated for General Red vs Blue language.
1. How the Eff Did I Get Here?

Okay…I decided to do something different. I got into Red Vs Blue a couple of months ago, and began playing Halo so that I can get more info on the series, so…I'm taking a shot at this. Wish me luck.

**Disclaimer: I own none of these idiots (even though most of them aren't really idiots) besides my OC**

_Expect spoilers._

**[When I began this, it was during February of 2014: it took some time, but I managed to get it done on the day I updated it. Also, I did some changes into the chapter – its small, but I think you can notice them.]**

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You ever had one of those days that, at first, it felt like a dream then suddenly you found it's not?

Well, it's not really every day that you found yourself waking up at a place that is _fictional_ with _fictional_ people around you and getting into a mess of trouble that you had unknowingly changed just by being there…and yet some events remained the same.

Yeah, it may seem cool…in a _fan fiction_, AND in a dream, but…honestly, it's really scary.

Most times, I nearly died… and in some cases, I felt that I _did_ die.

And yet… I don't think I can ever forget the people that I had met. Some I had grown close to – it hurts me most to be away from them…

If you care to listen, then please, listen to my story.

The story of me going through it all, as a Simulation Trooper, part of the Diplomat Corps, and being part of an army against a corrupt organization looking to wipe out all life on a planet…and somehow managed to stop the attempted annihilation of the galaxy.

Through it all, I fought for my survival… and the survival of the brave men and women I fought alongside with. I'm not the Master Chief, or any one special – just a chick fighting with her friends.

_**~o~**_

I was an average person, the age of 23 getting into college. My family is kind of well off, with my father a repair man (and a DAMN good one at that) and my mother a nurse in the ICU of a hospital several miles from our home. And I'm also the middle child of this family – three years younger than my older brother and a year older than my young sister.

But enough about that.

My name is Erica. Yes, I'm a female, in case you didn't know. As for what I'm doing in college…I'm getting my General Studies out of the way before I go on. After that, I'll try to find a college to do…whatever it is that I wanted to do. Yeah, I…don't know what I want to do afterwards. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with problems like this.

Yeah…I'm not exactly like other young adults. Not a typical girly-girl, but also not a serious chick – both of which are beautiful. I'm kind of a tomboy – I don't like going out to the mall and spending hundreds of dollars on clothes that I just grab at the spur of the moment and find out that they don't even look good on me. Or buy craptons of make-up that would just make you look ugly – somehow, it does to me; it masks what you are on the INSIDE. And there are a lot of people that are really ugly on the inside.

That may seem like I have misogyny towards women but… that's just my personal opinion. Women are capable of being bad, like men; and that's a fact. Also... most of the people that bully me are females.

Anyways…

I bet you're wondering where this is going, right? Well, let me enlighten you…

It was on a Thursday when it happened – I can't remember the exact date but I can faintly remember the time. It was part of the three day off from the college I go to, and I was watching (or listening) to stuff on my PS Vita (I got the small console for Christmas last year). I recently got off of Skype, seeing that it was late and I decided to watch a couple of Youtube videos before going to bed. Some of them happen to be videos of Red Vs Blue. I'll be honest with you: I heard about Red Vs Blue but never watched it because…well, I can never get into the series it was based off of, Halo. For a few years I've resisted…until I finally broke down and watched one of the episodes…eight seasons early.

I was hooked to it sense. I watched all of the seasons, including season 11. And…to be honest, I'm not sure what season 12 is going to be like – I'm sure there are others who are like that, but seriously. One of the Reds or Blues might DIE in the next season – Donut nearly did, but he managed to survive thanks to Doc. We probably won't know until episode 1 of season 12 is out…on April 28th.

Anyway, back on track.

I had just finished watching my favorite scene of the Reconstruction series (where Church was launched into the air by the Grav-Lift) when I decided that I was tired enough to go to bed. My sister is asleep at around that time (so is Dad) so I turned off my Vita and laid back. I felt a bit lazy to put my glasses into its case, so I placed it next to my head so that I could put it on later when I woke up…which, by knowing me, would be near noon or after it.

For some reason, I fell asleep pretty quickly. Which is odd for me – it took me a few minutes to get comfy before I fall asleep.

And another thing – it was a dreamless sleep. Or…I thought it was. There were a few images, but I don't really remember them.

Then I was awakened…by something tapping me. Huh, must've been Jonesy or one of the other cats. I grunted and rolled onto my side – huh, that's odd, it felt kind of…hard for some reason. But my befuddled mind only thought of one thing: 'Fuck everything else and sleep.'

I obeyed my mind…until I felt something shaking me.

"Um…miss? What are you doing napping?" …Huh, that's odd – for some reason that person sounded familiar.

"Mmph… go 'way and lemme sleep," I mumbled before I turned over onto my stomach – it still felt hard…and I think something is pressing against my chest.

There was a bit of a silence, and I honestly thought that the person went away. I was about to go back to sleep until I heard the same voice hollering:

"Um, she told me to go away and let her sleep!"

"Wait, she isn't dead?" Huh? Wait, they thought I was dead?

"Um…I don't think so."

"Well, if she's with you, then she might've been a recruit like you." Recruit? What?

"Oh that's good." A pause. "…Do you think the other guys would like me?"

"How the fuck should I know? It's not like the Blue team has much activity." _Blue_ Team? What- What the fuck?!

"Oh…I like me," the first voice let out sadly.

There was a bit of a pause and I slowly began to wake myself up – I need to know what the fuck is going on here. Just as I was about to pick myself up, I then heard the second voice say:

"Okay, we're near the Blood Gulch Outpost," hey, that voice is a male. "Get your crap and get ready to depart, uh…"

"It's Michael. Michael J. Caboose." …CABOOSE?!

I shot up and looked around. What the- where am I? I asked myself – I looked like I was inside of those factories that I usually see in movies and shit. But I also heard a faint hum and beeping noises. But…where…

"Oh! So you're awake now miss?" I flinched and turned to the source – and I was thinking 'Oh my God…!' when I saw a man looking down at me, tilting his head curiously – in armor colored blue, and his helmet with an orange visor prevented me from seeing his face.

There was no mistaking that voice…it really IS Caboose! But…But that's impossible! He's a character from Red Vs Blue! A series based off of Halo! How is this even _possible_?!

_**~o~**_

Michael J. Caboose stared down at the female on the floor, looking up at him with too wide brown – or are they black? - eyes. It was as if she was a deer caught in the headlights. Her armor is like his, but colored an odd shade of blue; kind of _blue_ but a little bit of purple. And she has brown hair…like chocolate.

…But he couldn't figure out for the life of him on why she's staring at him like that. "…What?"

"Ah!" He jumped along with the female, as she scrambled back frantically. She then patted the ground for something and then looked and picked up something – a pair of glasses – and placed them on. She looked around some more then slowly stood up, looking at everything except him. …That isn't nice.

"Um…"

The female cut him off by look back at him – rather fast – and strode up to him. "Hey! You! Uh- I need you to slap me!"

Caboose blinked behind his visor at the request. "Huh?"

"Seriously! As hard as you can! I need to find out if I'm dreaming or not!" She pleaded. Why would she ask him that? "C'mon man! Just do it!"

He is _really_ confused...but he nodded. "Um, okay then." She moved her face foreward and seemed to have braced herself.

She said as hard as he could, right? Well, he might as well do what his fellow teammate wants.

So he did.

And she fell back to the ground, napping once more.

"Um...miss?" Caboose blinked down at her. "Miss? Why are you taking a nap again? You just woke up!"

"What the fuck is going on back there?" The man at the front shouted at him.

"Um...I think she's fine!" Caboose called back at him.

"Well, you two get ready, we're here!" The man shouted. "I'm dropping the tank next to the base!"

"Okay!" Caboose shouted back. He looked over at the lady. She's still out. He shook her. "C'mon, you gotta get up. We're here."

But she's still out.

Caboose looked around and spotted the helmet of the same color sitting there next to her. Okay...how do they put it on again?

...Oh! He remembers now!

He took the helmet and flipped the front open before he puts the helmet onto the lady's head snuggly and flipped the front again to place it on. "There we go!" He grinned at his work. He looked around again. That's odd - the only stuff in here with him is HIS stuff? Where's hers?

Oh well, he shrugged. He gathered his things and carried the lady and exited the ship.

Blood Gulch...doesn't really look like much. Its a box canyon, with patches of grass dotted on every part of the fields, and a couple of trees placed at different parts of the place. ...And next to him is a large, concrete base with blue lights dotted on it.

...This place looks kind of...boring.

Oh well - since he's here, he might as well make the best of it-

There was a loud crashing sound, and he jumped a couple of feet in the air. No, he literally jumped into the air by the impact.

And the sound woke up the lady. "HOLY SHIT-!" She exclaimed before she fell off his shoulder.

Caboose looked down at her, as she lied there for a moment before she slowly sat up. "What the...?" She let out- then she spotted him.

Caboose merely lifted his hand and waved. "Hi."

...The lady just lowered her head. "Dammit..." She muttered.

_**~o~**_

Honestly, I had been hoping that this was all a dream.

I mean, how could it be possible that I'm with my favorite character of an internet series that I just gotten into literally a couple of months ago.

And shit, my cheek still hurt, so that theory is out.

But...I can't really believe it- I'm actually at Blood Gulch with the Reds and Blues. Wait, that isn't good. I'm at Blood Gulch - which means- oh crap, Project Freelancer is sure to find out about me and that is NOT good!

This will suck major balls.

"Um... Are you okay?" I heard Caboose call out to me. No. I can't acknowledge him- _it_. And-

...Oh, who am I kidding?

I raised my head. "Huh?"

"Um, are you okay?" Caboose asked me again. "You told me to slap you as hard as I can and you fell back to sleep."

...Oh yeah, I..._kind_ of asked Caboose to do that. I was really hoping that I was dreaming...but my cheek still stings a little. So that's a no.

"Uh...yeah, I just...I'm having a weird day is all," I answered him.

"Oh," he simply said.

There was an awkward silence about us.

"Um...are you going to stand up, miss?" Caboose then asked me.

"Oh- uh, right," I said, sheepishly. "I...guess I should've done that." I proceed to do just that- then it seems my brain picked the time to regester the things in front of my vison. _'What the...?'_

What the hell is all of this? There's a couple of bars, two circles at the top left, and- wait. Yeah, I-I think I've seen this before. This is the HUD thing for the Halo series.

...Well, okay, I've seen my brother, his friends and Dad playing it a lot - and at first I didn't care for it, but...maybe I should play the Halo series to get a better idea of it AND Red vs Blue-

"Why are you staring at me?" I blinked. Oh, oops.

"Sorry, I was lost in my train of thought," I apologized. But I don't want another awkward silence, so I tried to think of something to say. "Uhh... Michael J Caboose, right?"

"Yeah, that's me!" Caboose nodded. "What about you?"

"It's Erica. Erica Helms," I answered.

Caboose seemed to beam under his helmet. "Nice to meet ya!"

I smiled a bit - he really is pretty likeable...even though he'll become a dumbass later on...

Wait.

I looked around. "Uh...are we the only ones here?" I asked.

"Hey, what the Fuck is going on here?!" Oh no.

"Uh oh," I let out. I looked over at Caboose. "Uh, just tell them that I had to head out to...someplace? I gotta check out something." I don't want to put up with Tucker flirting with me.

"Okay then," Caboose nodded.

"Thanks," I said before I quickly took off to the other opening of Blue Base.

...I still have no idea what's going on though...

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**And there's chapter 1...or the prologue. Okay, let's see how I /OC Erica can handle the insanity that is Blood Gulch.**

**...Though, I think I'm better off doing it in Third Person. I just can't do first person. I mean, I know it's better to do it in first person to see what a person's thoughts are but...not for me.**

**So, um...review?**


	2. Meeting the Blues

Second chapter! Here we go.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs...though, only one OC appeared so far.**

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Its been a couple of minutes since I began wondering around Blue base. This place is pretty spaceous for three people (poor Flowers). But...since **I'm** here, would it house four more?

Well, they managed for Doc and Sister (and Junior) later on.

Anyways, so far, I've found a stash of weapons (most of them magnums, battle rifles and SMGs) and there hasn't been **one** sniper rifle! Dammit Church...

I found a kitchen (that looks nice and tidy, considering that there were only two people now), some food in the pantries and the fridge.

A large bathroom that has a tub, a shower, a sink...I briefly wondered if they have things for girls when, um...Mother Nature comes around.

And there are several bedrooms - one of which is larger, which is probably reserved for the leader of this base. The others are simply bunk beds. ...I should probably put a lock on mine to keep Tucker out.

Oh, and I also found the laundry room...

And finally, the place where they kept the flag. Its actually in a single room at the top floor. The other rooms are concealed until I got near one of the doors by accident. That's actually pretty clever - the Reds and Blues doesn't want the other to pillage their stuff.

Well, I'm done exploring, I think I should take my leave.

...Though, by now, Vic must've noticed me-

"...Girlfriend or wife?" Uh oh.

"No, man," I heard another voice and I hurried over, "she's just my girlfriend, you know? We were gonna get married, but I got shipped out, and...ah, you know how it works."

"Oh, well, you gonna marry her when you get back?" Not good...!

"...Oh! That's right! There is also a girl who came here with me." ...Huh? "I think she left a little while ago before you guys got here."

I hid in the shadows of the opening near the voices, in time to see the aqua green clad man and a cobalt clad man glance over at Caboose.

"...Are you fucking pulling our legs?" The aqua green one - Tucker - said. "If you are-"

"Wait, wait, wait," the cobalt one - Church - tried to calm his comrade. "If there was another rookie with you, how come you didn't mention 'her' at all?" I frowned - they thought that I was make believe? ...Actually, maybe I should watch a little longer.

"Um...was I supposed to?" Caboose let out, confused. Poor thing.

"Yes!" Church stressed out.

"Oh, yeah, her name is Erica, and she went into the Blue Base a while ago." ...I should probably leave after that.

I turned to do that, until: "But I'm not going to get married. My dad always said, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?'"

...Dammit.

"Hey, rookie...did you just call my girlfriend a cow?" Church sounded angry right there.

"No, I think he called her a slut!" No- Caboose's _dad_ called her that.

I sighed and stepped out into the light. "Umm, excuse me?"

The three of them turned to me. And there was an awkward silence.

"Oh, hi Erica!" Caboose said.

Oh boy...

_**~o~**_

Church couldn't believe his eyes. There really IS a chick with them. He thought that the rookie was kidding (though he's still pissed that he called his girlfriend- well, ex-girlfriend a slut).

...Though, its hard to tell if she's a girl due to the bulky armor. But the rookie - Caboose, right? - claimed that this person is a girl, and he called this person 'Erica'. That's a girl's name.

And it was proven that the person IS a girl, when they-she looked over at Caboose. "Hey Caboose," she - holy crap, that really is a girl - said to him.

"Holy shit!" Tucker exclaimed. "You really are a girl!"

The new girl looked over at Tucker. "Huh?"

"I mean, I thought that the newbie was pulling our leg," Tucker admitted (and Church looked over at the so called 'lady's man' in exasperation), "But...man, I can't believe we have a chick with us!" Smooth...

The girl just _stared_ at him. "...What, am I like the only girl that appeared here?" She asked, sounding incredulous.

"Well...you can say that," Church said. Then he focused back on how to punish the new guy for insulting his girlfriend. A part of him wanted to rip the new guy a new hole- wait... "All right then, noob," he began, looking over at the new guy. "I could sit out here and listen to you insult my girlfriend all day long-"

"Wait, hold on," the new girl cut in. "You're going to punish him for what his _dad_ said?"

Church gave her a bit of a glare. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"Umm...don't you think you're overreacting?" She asked him. "I mean, he's just quoting what his father said. He didn't mean to do it on purpose."

He frowned, and he could feel his eye twitching. "Listen lady, guys should NOT insult another guy's girlfriend!" ...Even though his ex-girlfriend isn't always faithful... "How would you like it if another chick insulted your boyfriend?"

She went silent. "...I...don't have one."

"What? A boyfriend?" Her shaking his head answered his question. Figures.

"Hey, I can be your boyfriend-"

"Fuck no," she cut in sharply to Tucker (the aqua green clad man looking a bit miffed at how quickly she answered).

"Wha-? But, I-"

"Dude, my answer is 'no'," she told him. "N. O. Get that memorized!" ...For some odd reason, Church had a feeling he heard that quote from somewhere...

"Okay, sheesh," Tucker said, holding his hands up to try to calm her. "No need to get anal. Bow Chicka Bow Wow."

"Oh dear God..." the girl muttered to herself, palming her visor.

Well, she seems a bit...intelligent.

But still, there was something about her that he didn't like - he just doesn't know what it is. "Okay...Erica, right?" The cobalt man asked her.

"That's my name," she said.

"Okay, I got a job for you," he said. "You should go out and...patrol around Blue base."

"..._Whut?_" She let out, as if she couldn't believe what he just said.

"Listen, I'm not in the mood to hear you two talk," he explained, "not after what happened. "Just do me a favor and just go and patrol around. If you see us, _don't_ speak to us. Are we clear?"

She just sighed. "Yes."

"Good, now get out of here!" The new girl turned and walked off-

But stopped halfway. "Um...should I like get a gun to protect myself?" ...Seriously? Don't they teach rookies that in training?!

"What did I just say?!" He shouted at her.

"Okay! Geez!" With that, she quickly took off.

He let out an agravated sigh. This is why he hates rookies.

"Um, mister Church, do I get to do something?" The new guy sounded nervous - good, he should be.

"C'mon," Church said, leading the two of them to the room where the flag is. "Okay, we've got this General..."

"Right, the General guy," looks like Tucker caught on to what he's planning.

"...who likes to come by and make random inspections of bases," he continued. "So what's I'm gonna have you do, is I'm gonna have you stand right next to the flag at attention, just in case he comes by."

"When is he coming by?" ...He's actually buying it! Holy shit!

"We never know," Tucker replied. "It could be today, or could be a week from now."

"You want me to stand at attention for a week?"

"You know, you don't sound very grateful," Church said, foldin his arms and giving the rookie a patronizing look. "This is the first most important job at the whole base."

"What's the second thing?" Church blinked at the question.

"Uh...that's...the thing your newbie friend is doing," he answered quickly. "You know, patrolling."

"Oh."

"Anyway, you're gonna be right here with the flag," Church finished.

The new guy tilted his head. "What's so important about the flag?" ..._**Seriously?!**_ Don't they teach rookies _anything_ during training?! He felt like he was about to bust an artirey.

"Seriously? Don't they teach you guys _anything_ in training?" Church asked him.

"They didn't tell us anything about a flag," the new guy replied slowly. "Why is it so important?"

"Because it's the flag, man," Church replied...and he's losing his flow. "You know, its the flag- it's, uh... Tucker, you tell him why the flag is so important."

"Well, it's... it's complicated," the aqua clad man stammered. "Uh...it's blue, we're blue..."

Church sighed - smooth. "Look, it's just important, okay? Trust us. So when the General comes by, the first thing he's gonna want to do is inspect the flag."

"Right," Tucker nodded to agree with him.

"So just stay in here, you know, _far away_ from us, and wait for him," Church summed it up, as if he was a retarded monkey.

They were about to leave, until: "Uh, how will I know when I see him?" The new guy asked.

Tucker looked over his shoulder. "There's only three of us- well, four of us out here, rookie," he explained. "He's gonna be the guy that doesn't look like one of us."

"Okay," the new guy nodded.

"Now stay in here, and don't come out!" Church told him and they left the base. Once they were away, he sighed. "Man, that guy is dumber than you are."

"You mean he's dumber than _you_ are," Tucker retorted.

"Wow, Tucker," Church let out, dryly, "that was a great come-back."

"Uh, mister Church? Sir?" The cobalt clad man twitched.

"Oh my God, _WHAT_?!" He yelled out. "Tucker, I swear I'm gonna kill him."

"Uh..." Church looked over his shoulder, to see the new guy cringing. "Sorry about calling your girl a slut..."

Church could've sworn his vein just snapped. "ROOKIE! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY, GET IN THERE!" And the new guy fled inside. Then he heard Tucker chuckling to himself beside him. "Tucker, are you laughing at me?"

But he was ignored.

He swears, he's going to kill all of them one of these days...

_**~o~**_

...Okay, I can't help but feel bad for Caboose right there.

The base is pretty big, yes, but I just got done with my first lap around to see Church shouting at him. Seriously, all for just what Caboose quoted from his dad?

...And wow, he looks like he's ready to rip a new hole to someone.

I looked up at the base, then around. Huh, no sign of Donut yet - he arrived here at the Red base at the same time as Caboose (and me), so...he should've been here by now to ask Church if the base is a store.

Oh well.

I looked back at the base. Well, I should go and check if Caboose is okay. And besides, I don't think Church is ready to put up with our shit yet. Stupid AI...

So I walked into the base.

"Hey, Caboose," I said once I reached the flag room.

"Huh?" He let out, perking his head up. "Oh, hey Erica!" He sounded happier upon seeing me.

I smiled to myself. "Man, not even our first day, and we're all ready given, uh...orders." I don't think I should tell Caboose that he was tricked (even though a part of me felt bad by not telling him...). I just...I don't have the heart to tell him.

"Well...I kinda called his girlfriend a slut," Caboose said, sounding sad as he hung his head. "Maybe he hates me now."

"Caboose, c'mon," I said, going over to him and lightly touched his shoulder. "Even I can tell that you didn't mean it. I mean..." I let out a bit of a chuckle. "I also have a bad habit of saying some things without thinking it before I blurt it out." And that also landed me in more trouble than I could imagine. Just like Dad.

"Anyway, since you and I will be here for a while, you want to unpack your things and choose a room?" I suggested. "I went exploring a little and found a place where we can bunk."

"Well, I would, but..." Caboose trailed off. "Church said that I have to stay here. The General would come by any second now."

I gave a mental sigh. "Caboose-"

"Excuse me?" I blinked and I looked over my shoulder.

_'Oh dear God...'_ I thought, seeing a man in red armor styled like ours...but I can tell who that voice is. "Uh...yes?"

"Wow, you got here fast!" Caboose let out, surprised to see the 'General' here.

I was about to correct him- but paused. On one hand, I could tell both Caboose and Donut that they were equally tricked by their own comrades just to get rid of them (or just avoid them in general), thus saving Church's life...and not getting Tex here, changing things for the whole series...

...OR, I can just let things run their course. Plus, I wanted to get back at Church for this 'job' he gave me - since nothing much goes on in Blood Gulch anyway, besides them standing around and talking about random shit.

With a smirk, I turned to Donut. "How can we help you, sir?"

Donut let out a sigh. "Man, why is everyone so freakin' rude in this canyon?"

"We're not, sir," Caboose replied. "What can we do for you?"

"Finally, someone with a little respect around here," yeah, its not going to last, Donut.

"Indeed, sir," I said, playing along. "You're here for this, right?" I gestured to the flag.

Donut paused and looked around. "Wait, is this all you have?" He cried out.

"Uh, yes sir, this is it," Caboose replied, sounding a bit unsure.

"Aw man, this figures," Donut sighed. "Shit. What about Elbow Grease?"

"I'm afraid not," I shook my head.

"Headlight fluid?"

"No, all we have is this flag," Caboose told him.

Donut sighed again. "Well, I can't go back empty-handed," he decided. "So, I guess I'll take that."

"All right," I said, me and Caboose watching him taking the flag.

"That makes sense... I guess," Caboose let out.

Donut then ran out, muttering things to himself.

After a bit, I looked over at Caboose. "Should we tell Church that the General came by?"

"Yeah, I think we should," the blue clad male nodded.

"Okay, uh, can you do that? I need to get something," I told him.

"Uh, sure," he nodded then he walked out.

I turned and headed to where (I think) the armory is. Might as well get something easy to use, like a pistol or something.

I mean...how hard could it be to use a gun?

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**Okay, I'm going to end it right there because I'm not sure how to continue it. Sorry. **

**I got decent views, but, um...well, better than nothing I guess.**

**Leave a review.**


	3. We're All Screw Ups

3rd chapter. Here we go.

**Disclaimer: I own no one.**

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...It actually took me a few minutes (or is it a minute? Man, my time tracking skills suck) to find my way back to the armory.

I was choosing between two guns (an assault rifle and a magnum) and, well, darn it, its hard to decide! Anyway, I was in the middle of choosing which one should I use until:

"Hey!"

I let out a yelp and I fumbled and juggled with the guns and just watched helplessly as they just clattered to the floor. After a moment of staring at them, I looked back to see the other Blues. Where the hell did they come from? ?

"Uh..." I just let out.

But Church just ignored me, him and Tucker walking by me to not only get a couple of guns (and Church was hiding that sniper rifle the whole time?! That fuck!) but also some ammo.

"Uh...what's going on?" I hesitated to ask.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Church began (and oh, he sounded pissed) then rounded on me and Caboose. "What's going on...is that you two gave a _Red_ our flag!"

Oh yeah, that. I just frowned at him. "Well, you didn't warn us about _that_," I told him.

"What the- You just-" Church just made an exasperated groan. "Who the fuck is running this army?!"

You aren't in the army, dude - not a real one. You were sent to be hidden by the jackasses that tortured you, split you up and now you have amnesia and you thought you're a human. Along with the other Reds and Blues that failed to be capable soldiers.

I didn't say any of that, though.

"Well, why blame us for the ridiculous orders you gave us?" I said, making a bored look. "You told me to patrol _and_ keep my mouth shut the entire time." I didn't add that it was also his and Tucker's fault that they didn't turn around and looked at Donut when he came in.

Church glared at me. "...You are just one step closer from having me killing you, rookie," he seethed.

...Now I'm not sure if I should be afraid or not.

"...So...what are we going to do with this Red guy?" I tentatively asked.

"You two aren't," Church corrected. "Me and Tucker will."

"Right, 'cuz...you two are here longer than we are," I said as Church carried some sniper rounds and another gun as he passed me. I stepped a little further to get away from Tucker, but he was more focused on getting some ammo and following Church out.

I looked over at Caboose. "...you wanna go and see if we can still, um...lend them a hand?"

"My hand or your hand?" ...Not quite, Caboose.

I simply sighed and picked up the two guns I dropped. "Here," I said, handing him the assault rifle as I picked up the pistol. I looked over at my hips for a moment (and how come my armor is colored...indigo instead of the standard blue? I never noticed that until now) before I set it there. I don't trust myself with the gun. "Let's go, Caboose."

"Okay," he simply nodded.

As we jogged our way to where the roof is, he then said, "Um...how come you always call me by my last name?"

I blinked. "Huh? Oh, uh...I dunno, it sounds right for some reason," I answred. Honestly, it just- it just come out, is all. "Why?"

"Well, your name is Erica but your last name is Helms," Caboose said. "Should I call you by last name as well?"

I thought about it. "...Tell you what," I said. "I'll try to say your first name if you just call me by MY first name. I'm more used to having my first name called, okay Ca- err, Michael?"

"Okay then!" Ca- ...this is going to be harder than I thought.

"...Yeah, I'll just call you Mike or Mikey, okay?"

"Okay!" Mikey nodded.

_**~o~**_

It took us a few minutes to get to the roof, watching Church and Tucker (uh, should I call them by their first names as well? This will be weird) trying to find Donut.

Feeling that I should do something, I went over to the edge of the base and looked around as well. After a bit, I spotted something blue by the canyon wall. "I think I found him!" I said, pointing at where Donut is.

"Where?" I heard Church ask, and I glanced over to Church to get to my side and peered through the scope until he found Donut, holding the flag. "Oh yeah, oh I got him. He's sneaking around back behind the cliffs."

"Man, he must be one smart son of a bitch," Tucker commented.

...Or maybe Donut- dammit. Okay, the other guy - is just hopelessly lost.

"Oh shit... Hey Tucker, take a look at his armor," Church said. "It's red."

"Oh man," Tucker groaned (shit, this really IS hard). "That means it's their Sergeant." Not really.

"Well, that makes sense," Church agreed. "At least now we know how he got by our defenses."

"...Uh, you know, he came in the back door where you guys were standing," Mikey pointed out. Hah, you two just got burned.

"Yeah okay," unfortunately, Tucker and Church didn't seem to care; impatiently waving us off. "Well let's take him out then."

"Roger that," Church nodded, and he zeroed in on Donut's head. "Okay, say goodnight, Sarge."

...Okay, in hindsight, I probably should have moved away from Church before he fired. Because, holy fuck, that was _loud_! It didn't help that he fired it four times.

Oww...! My ears are ringing!

I had to walk away from the edge, near Mikey, but due to that annoying ringing in my ears, I can't hear anything for a few moments.

As I recovered, I managed to turn back and watched the scene unfold. Tucker glared at Church for a moment before he shook his head, a few moments before Church switched his rifle for an assault rifle and headed over to the teleporter. I looked over at Tucker, and he seems hesitant to go through it (not that I can blame him). They just move their heads (huh, it really is kind of stupid with no voices), with Church jabbing his thumb back at the teleporter but Tucker simply waved his hands, as if saying 'No!' and Church's arm slowly fell to his side. Church then pointed his gun at Tucker's head and Tucker stepped back, as if shocked.

After a few moments, Tucker slumped a little and stepped towards the teleporter, all while glaring at Church. Church still pointed his gun at him. The aqua colored male looked back at the teleporter, and he had a moment's hesitation before he ran through it.

Church quickly looked over to the edge and (well, it looks like Mikey is also curious) the two of us went over to the edge to look over at...what IS that? Is that where the other teleporter is? It's this green...misty thing, floating over a small piece of metal.

We waited for a few moments for Tucker to emerge from the other end. ...But as seconds became a minute, Church looked over at us for a moment (his head bopping up and down for a bit) then he jumped off the edge, running after Donut.

After a few moments, the ringing is gone, and I can hear again. "...God that sucks," I muttered to myself, rubbing where my ears are.

"Are you okay, Erica?" Mikey asked me, and I looked over at him for a bit. "I was asking you if you were okay but you didn't respond, and just kept saying 'What?' everytime."

"Uh, well, my ears are ringing from being too close to our leader using the sniper rifle," I explained. "I can hear again, now."

"Oh."

Then we looked back and saw Church now with Donut and Tucker is there (though his armor is covered in soot) and the three of them are just standing there, with Church and Donut staring at Tucker for a few moments. "...What do you think they're talking about?" Mikey finally asked me.

"Who knows," I shrugged. "Its not like we can just hear everything." Then it hits me. "Wait, hold on." I fumbled around with my helmet for a few moments, trying to find...well, something to help me hear/communicate with the others from the distance. Pressing a button, I seemed to have found the flashlight feature of it. "Nope." I turned it off and kept looking.

I pressed another and suddenly, I heard: "-I get stationed here at Blood Gulch and we meet. And this guy here..." I looked back at the three and spotted Tucker pointing at Donut. "He gets promoted to Sergeant of the Red Army, and we spy on them. And they get this new jeep and I'm all like 'There is _now way_ you can pick up chicks in a tank!'"

I made a bored look and turned the long comm. off. "Yeah, I think the aqua one thinks he's gone back in time," I said.

"What an idiot," Mikey said.

"Tell me about it," I agreed.

Then we heard the roar of a vehicle and we returned our attention to the middle of the canyon and saw a jeep with a machine-gun turrent at the back (being driven by the one clad in orange while the marron one manned the turrent) leap over a nearby hill and nearly crushed Church (who dodged quickly) and nearly ran over Tucker (who got out of the way fast enough). They tried to run away but the maroon one - Simmons - pointed his gun at the two and fired, making them turn and flee towards the cliff wall.

"Oh man, that's not good," Mikey murmured in horror as we watched.

"Yeah..." I nodded. "There's no way we can take them - they have a machine gun at the back of that jeep!"

Mikey then looked over at something and I looked. The tank. I looked back at where Simmons is shooting at Church and Tucker than back at the tank.

I sighed. "Screw this," I said. "We're taking the tank!" With that I went to the edge.

"Umm, should we really?" Mikey asked me.

"Yeah, I mean, sure they were dicks to us, but we can't leave them to die out here!" I replied - plus, the two of them are important to the plot - if Tucker dies, then we're all screwed when Wyoming comes by later. "Besides, they owe us." I jumped down and head over to the tank.

Oh yeah, the Church from the future would be here, talking to Shelia (previously named FILSS). Maybe...I could try to make Church's relationship with Mikey better. But...I could only hope that nothing bad would happen.

_**~o~**_

I let out a growl. "Dammit!" I cursed, trying to shift to the other way. I just crashed onto the rock. "Sorry!" I called out to Shelia.

Man, I can't believe how hard it is to drive a tank! Seriously, why are there six pedals and yet I could only go in four directions? ? Vehicles in the Halo-verse are so weird!

"Is everything alright?" The Training AI asked me.

"Um, yeah- well, no," I admitted, bowing my head in shame. "Yeah, I really suck at driving this tank." Not like the other guys can do better.

"If its all right, I could drive this tank safely," Shelia offered. "It really isn't that hard to do."

...Dammit - of course AIs can do mechanical things better. With a sigh, I asked, "Could you let me out Shelia?"

"Certainly." The canopy above me opened up and I got out.

"Is it my turn?" Mikey asked me once I got onto the treads.

I just shook my head. "Nah, we should let Shelia do this," I told him.

I mentally sighed. Well, my earlier plan of driving the tank to save Church and Tucker backfired. Plus...well, Shelia can do a better job driving the tank better than we could.

I feel like that I was just told that you are the most pathetic person in the world', right now. Yeah, that's how depressed I am right now...

"Oh," Mikey let out.

I looked over at Shelia. "Hey, do you mind if we ride on you?" I asked her. "Like, you know, like a car." Shelia merely 'looked' at me with the large cannon...then turned and drove off. "...I'll take that as a 'no' then." I just followed the tank with Mikey.

It wasn't long until we were at the place where Church and Tucker are hiding at, and right there are Grif and Simmons, having stopped at the bottom of the cliff, contemplating their, ahem, next move. Me and Mikey just hide behind the tank. "Shelia, activate the auto-fire sequence," I whispered to her.

"Are you sure?" The AI asked me. "I do not think that is wise - once the auto-fire sequence is activated, the tutorial ends."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure, Shelia," I affirmed. ...Though, I felt as if I'm forgetting something...

"All right then," Shelia said. "Tutorial mode, disabled. Auto-fire sequence enabled."

I nodded and looked back up in time to see Grif sneaking off, leaving Simmons behind as he ran towards the Warthog (not noticing Shelia aiming her cannon at him). I knew what was going to happen, so I just kept-

...

Wait a minute.

"Oh fu-" Once again, my ears rings again as Shelia fired at Grif (but missing and hitting the Warthog, making it explode). "AH! God...dammit!" I shouted (well, I felt my mouth move like that, but didn't hear my voice), holding my hands over my ears.

But my biggest concern was what is going to happen soon. I shook my head (though, I still hear that ringing noice - mildly surprised that I hadn't felt my ears explode and render me deaf) and scrambled onto the tank towards the canopy.

"Shelia, Shelia, listen to me!" I (think I heard myself) exclaimed. "Turn off the auto-fire sequence! Turn it off!"

"All right," I blinked when I suddenly heard her voice and the cannon lowered. "Auto-fire sequence, disabled. All targets eliminated."

Uhh...a part of me wanted to be relieved that I fixed THIS but...another, _stronger_ part is dumbfounded by how I got my hearing back so quickly.

"Umm...thanks, Shelia," I said.

"Holy shit!" I looked up at Church, seeing him looking down at us. "You're telling me the whole time the tank has a training AI?"

"Uhh..." I glanced over at the tank and back up at him. "It...seems that way."

"Hi Church!" Mikey called out from behind me.

"Oh, so you brought him with you," Church let out, as if he was bored.

"Hey, we came here to save you guys, and that's all you can say?" I felt a little mad that he was just being his prick self - of course, why should I be surprised?

Tucker peeked his head out. "Well, they _did_ come and save us," he admitted. "Not only that, the Tank blew up their jeep." As if on cue, Shelia fired at the Warthog again, making it fly all the way back towards Red Base.

"...Yeah, I think we should just retire for the day," I suggested. ...And I'm getting a feeling that I've forgotten something again, as Shelia fired at Red Base repeatedly.

Church stared down at me for a few moments...then he let out a groan. "Fine."

"Hey, uh, what's that flying over the other base?" Mikey suddenly asked.

"Huh?" I let out before I heard multiple explosions.

...SHIT!

"Oh FUCK, _RUN_!" I shouted before I hightailed it back to Blue Base.

I heard myself screaming as I ran for my life. I then tripped and landed flat on my face, and I just lied there as multiple exposions occured behind me, and feeling my heart pounding erratically - holy shit, I am _that_ terrified.

Soon, it seems like it was over.

I slowly moved my arms in front and pushed myself up. "Is...is it over?" I shakily asked.

"Yeah...Yeah it is," I heard Tucker and I looked up to see him and Mikey panting next to me.

I let out a relieved sigh- wait.

"Where's Church and Shelia?" I asked, horror filling my body.

The two jerked and the three of us (as if we are one) looked back. Shelia is flipped upside down, smoking...and several feet from the blackened parts of the earth, was Church.

"Oh shit!" I shouted, getting up as the three of us ran over to him.

"Church! Church, speak to me!" Tucker shouted at him.

"Shelia! No! !" Caboose cried out in horror.

Oh God, look at all that blood! I haven't seen a lot of it since my brother's accident! I forced myself to turn away, but...this scene is already burned in my mind.

"Tucker... T-Tucker..." I heard Church groan out.

"Church! It's going to be okay, man!" ...Why even say that when you knew he won't make it?! Dammit!

"No," the cobalt soldier grunted in pain - even he knew he's going to die- ...wait a second. He's an AI. Is...Is the body he's using even real?

In my mental rambling, I didn't hear CHurch and Tucker talking but I looked over at Tucker, just as he said, "Yeah, I know you did. Now, hurry up and die, you prick."

"Okay," was all Church said before he let out a 'herk...bleah!'

...Why do they let out a 'bleah'? They did the same in the Dragon Ball Z Abridged for Raditz and Piccolo when they both died. That doesn't make sense to me.

But...

I looked over at Tucker and Caboose. "So now what?" I asked. "The Reds have our flag, the tank is totalled, and now our captain is dead."

Tucker looked over at me. "Don't worry, I'll just call Command," he said. "But first..." he turned and hurried over to where Church was at previously.

I looked down at Church's 'corpse' and looked over at Mikey. "...You, uh, wanna see if they have shovels around here?" I asked.

"Why?" Mikey asked, as if confused.

"Well, I think its fair that we bury his body," I explained. "He should, I dunno, at least want that."

"Oh, all right," the blue clad male muttered, bowing his head.

The poor guy is upset that Shelia is 'dead' - poor thing... I put a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. "Well, if we do get help, they should fix the tank, at least," I assured him.

"You really think so?" Caboose looked back up at me, hopeful.

"Yeah," I nodded.

...Its hard to tell what facial expression he has, but I think Caboose is happy about that.

"Now, let's go and find those shovels!" I said to him. With a nod from Caboose, we entered the base.

...Though, I looked back in time to see Church (in his transparent form) and the other Church talking to each other before the transperant one disappears, before the other one quickly left.

Weird, I thought, looking back forward.

Not even a day, and somehow I screwed up.

Though, I guess that all of us are screw ups...

* * *

**Okay, that should do chapter 3. Erica/Me tried to save Church...but the poor guy ends up dying anyway. What else would she screw up at? Who knows?**

**Next chapter, Tex appears. This won't end well...**

**Review please!**


	4. Hello Tex

The fourth chapter. Things get a little...hairy for Erica now.

**Disclaimer: I own none of these guys.**

_PS: Sorry if all of these chapters have been short. I'll try to make them longer._

* * *

For the past few minutes, after he returned to their base (with no Sniper Rifle in his hands - again), Tucker tried to make contact with their Command. He glanced over at the two recruits, watching as they placed Church's body into the hole they dug up.

He let out a sigh. So many things happened in a day (which is still today) - they got two new recruits (one of which is a chick but she denied him - he'll keep trying though), and a tank but even though the rookies saved them, the tank is destroyed and Church (his mutual friend) is killed. Oh yeah, he mentally added, looking down at his armor, which is still covered in this black stuff.

Tucker went back to trying to make contact with Blue Command. "Command, come in Blue Command. This is Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. Do you read me?"

All he got is static.

The aqua clad man sighed. "Great."

"Something wrong?" The female chick asked, and he looked over at her. She was holding onto the shovel as Caboose put more dirt into the hole.

"I've been trying to make contact with our command," Tucker explained to her. "But I'm getting nothing from them."

"Oh," she simply said. "That's a shame." She went right back to digging.

Tucker frowned. "Hey, he was our leader when our previous captain died," he told her. "Sure he's a dick, but at least we have someone to lead us."

"Dude, I'm trying to bury our said leader's body!" The chick retorted, glancing at him over her shoulder. "I figured it's something we could do at least for our captain since he was KIA'd by the Reds! Not to mention that it's also bad to leave Mikey with the job alone!"

Tucker opened his mouth to say something- but paused. "...Who's 'Mikey'?" He blinked.

"Hello!" Caboose spoke up.

"Wait," the aqua clad male let out. "Your name is 'Mikey'?"

"Actually, his first name is Michael," the girl corrected. "I just call him Mikey because..." she looked over at Caboose then back at him. "Well, it's easier to say. Plus, he seems more like a 'Mikey', y'know?"

Tucker raised an eyebrow at them. "...Okay..." He let out slowly. "Uh, go back to what you guys are doing." He felt a little jealous of the new guy - they didn't got here, and he's already friends with the new girl.

He'll keep trying, though.

Turning around, he pressed the side of his helmet again to try to contact their Command- he looked down at himself.

He looked back. "Hey, uh, once you guys are done with that, do you mind help getting this black stuff off of me?"

"You mean the soot?" The girl asked him, looking back at him. The hole is halfway filled (Bow Chicka Bow Wow). "Just use soap - like Dawn or something, I dunno. A thorough scrubbing will get it off."

"Aw, c'mon!" Tucker complained. "Do you realize how heavy our armor is?"

The chick stared at him, then looked over at her own armor, and back at him. "...What? Are they, like, designed for the person who wears them?"

"Well, kind of," Tucker admitted, rubbing the back of his head - it took him a while to re-configure this armor so that only he could wear it. It used to belong to their previous Captain before he died. "But anyway, mind helping me?"

"...Help us bury him," she offered, gesturing to the hole.

"Huh?" Caboose let out, looking over at them, as if confused.

"...Fine..." Tucker sighed, slumping his arms. "But how are we-? Whoa!" He yelped and fumbled with the other collapsible shovel the chick tossed him.

"Let's get to work," she said, putting the shovel quickly into the dirt.

Tucker sighed again and proceeded to help the new recruits fill in the hole (Bow Chicka Bow Wow).

It took them a few minutes to fill it in completely, and it also took them a few minutes to clean off the soot on his armor. While they were doing that, he decided to try again at calling Blue Command.

"Come in, Blue Command," he said into the radio. "This is Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. Do you read me?"

The new girl paused a moment before she resumed rubbing. "Hey, uh, could...you ask Command to send me some...things a girl needs. Like, uh...clothes and stuff?"

Tucker gave an incredulous look to her. "Wait, you don't have your things?"

"Well...I had them, but I think they were on the wrong Pelican," she shrugged. She then sighed. "They're probably lost by now..."

...He made a mental note to raid her panties once they get here. "Right then," he nodded-

**"This is Blue Command,"** a familiar voice spoke up from the radio. **"Come in, Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha."**

Tucker sighed in relief (or is it the fact that one of them - hopefully the chick - was rubbing his cod piece) once he heard it. "Hello, Command! We need help."

**"Roger that, Blood Gulch,"** the operator - Vic - responded. **"What is your request?"**

"I don't know what the technical military term is for it, but-"

"We're in shit creek, and require reinforcements," the chick whispered to him.

Tucker stared down at her as she and Caboose stood up. "Uh-"

"Just tell him that," she insisted.

He stared at her. **"...Is everything okay?"**

"Huh? Oh- yeah, everything's okay," Tucker assured Vic. "We're in deep shit and need reinforcements."

**"Ah, roger that,"** Vic said. **"Did you get the tank we sent?"**

"Yeah, that...got blown up too," Tucker admitted.

**"Wow. Sucks to be you."**

"Yeah, we know," Tucker sighed.

After a moment's pause, Vic spoke up again, **"Okay, here's what I can do: the nearest Blue forces can be there in sixteen days or I-"**

"Sixteen days?!" Tucker cried out - that's too long! The three of them won't last long with the Reds! "That's almost two weeks!"

"Two weeks and two more days, actually," the chick corrected him.

**"**_**Or**_** I can hire a nearby Freelancer and get him there within a few hours,"** Vic finished, sounding a little annoyed.

At that, Tucker thought about it. More Blue soldiers would be here, but there's no way they'll wait two weeks for them. At most, they'll be killed off. But with a Freelancer - he heard about those soldiers; super soldiers that work for people with a lot of money. Specifically, mercenaries. That, and Church told him a bit about them, almost as if he knew about them the most - they could get better help in a couple of hours.

In the end, the private thought he'd rather go for a more, quick solution - and they would live.

Tucker nodded. "Okay, we'll take the quicker solution then."

**"10-4, Blood Gulch," **Vic replied. **"We will-"**

"Oh, one more thing," Tucker quickly cut in. "We would also request some...things like, girl stuff."

**"...Why would you need those?"** Tucker blinked - why'd he sound confused.

"Well, one of our new recruits is a chick, and she lost her stuff," Tucker explained. "So, do you think you can also send in those things as well?"

There was silence.

"...Command?"

**"Roger that, private,"** Vic finally said. **"We'll make sure that you'll get those. We'll contact Freelancer Tex and have him there posthaste with your request. Command out."**

"Whoever he is, make sure he can fix a tank!" He called out, but Vic already hung up.

"So...how'd it go?" Caboose ask him.

"Well, the good news is, we're getting help in a few hours," Tucker told them. "But the bad news is, it's a Freelancer."

"Shit..." the girl cursed, but Caboose...

He tilted his head. "What's a Freelancer?"

"Freelancers are independent," the aqua clad male explained. "They're not Red or Blue. They're just guns for hire who'll fight for whoever has the most money."

"In other words, they're kind of like a mercenary," she added. "But, well, meaner."

"Oh, I think I get it," Caboose nodded.

"Exactly," Tucker nodded, "or like your mom when the rent's due."

The chick glared at him. "Not cool dude."

"What?" Tucker let out. "It's just a joke."

"Right..." she let out, not convinced, "Anyway, your armor is all clean." She turned and left.

Tucker looked over at his armor. "Oh, nice work," he complimented. "Did you get all of the soot off?"

"Yup!" Caboose nodded. "I had to rub extra hard on your cod piece - it's really stubborn to get out."

Tucker just gawked at the new guy in horror, before he stepped away from him.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot something," the girl said as she came back. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Erica Helms. Just...call me Erica. Yours?"

"What, you want my whole name?" Tucker raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I figured it would be fair to call you guys by your first name," she explained. "If it's too long, I'll just shorten it."

Tucker stared at her. "...Nah, I like going by Tucker better," he shrugged. "I don't like my first name much."

"Well, what is it?" Even Caboose looked curious.

There was a moment's pause...before he sighed. "Lavernius."

"Lavernius?" The girl - should he start calling her Erica now? - repeated.

"That sound like a name a black person has," Caboose noted.

"Yeah, I'm black," Tucker narrowed his eyes at them. "Is that a problem?"

"No, I...well, no," Erica said. "I talked to a couple of them - they're really friendly."

"Meh, I don't care," Tucker shrugged.

"Anyway, did Command say who will be coming over? The Freelancer person," Erica asked.

"Well, they said their name is Tex, but...well, Vic said he'll be here in a few hours with your things," Tucker explained.

"Oh."

_"Tuuucckeeer... Tuuuuucckeeerrr..."_

"What the...?" Erica let out before the three of them turned to a figure behind them.

"HOLY SHIT! Who the hell are you?!" Tucker yelled in terror as Caboose hid behind Erica.

_"I am the ghost of Chuurrrch," _the figure - wearing the same armor as them but white - replied eerily. _"And I've come back with a waarrrniiinnngg..."_

"You're not Church," Caboose retorted. "Church is blue. You're white."

_"Rookie, shut up, man!" _Church shouted in his normal voice. _"I'm a freaking ghost! Have you ever seen a blue ghost before?"_

"Yeah, that's definitely him," Tucker said boredly.

_"Now I gotta start all over again..." _Church sighed before he cleared his throat. _"Tuuckerr, Tuuuucckeeerrr, I've come back with a waaarrrnninnng..."_

"Umm..." Erica spoke up. "Not to be disrespectful, but...that only works once, dude."

"Yeah, I gotta agree with her," Tucker said, a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, it's kinda annoying," even Caboose agreed.

Church just glared at them. _"Fine,"_ he huffed. _"Okay, here's the deal: I've come back from the dead to give you a warning about Tex. Don't let- Yes, rookie?"_

Tucker looked over at the new recruits, seeing Erica raising her hand. "Yeah, umm...if you are going to warn us about Tex, why do that? Is Tex, what, dangerous or something?"

Tucker blinked. Yeah, he never thought of that... "Yeah, I don't think you ever mentioned 'Tex' before."

_"Oh, right..."_ Church let out, rubbing the back of his head, sheepishly. _"Yeah, that could've saved some time. And made it more effective." _He shook his head. _"Anyway, Tucker, you remember that I told you that I was stationed on Sidewinder before they transferred me here to Blood Gulch, right?"_

"No," Tucker deadpanned.

"Sidewinder?" Caboose parroted. "Isn't that the ice planet?"

"Oh dear God..." Erica let out, making Tucker blink. Does she not like ice?

_"Yes,"_ Church nodded.

"Cool! What was that like?" Caboose asked him.

_"Um...it was cold,"_ the ghost simply replied.

"That's it? Just cold?"

"Well, he's on an ice planet," Erica explained to Caboose. "It's a planet made out of ice, or maybe it's always in an eternal winter. So yeah, it's really, really cold I bet."

_"Yeah, what she said,"_ Church said. _"It's really...fuckin'...cold."_

"...You were saying?" Tucker asked.

_"Alright, well..."_

Church then recounted the day when he was at Sidewinder, were Tex apparently killed off the other Blues there. Even pulling out his partner, Jimmy's skull out of him and beat him to death with it.

"I still think that's impossible," Erica said. "I mean...Jimmy would've been dead _before_ Tex beat him to death with his own skull."

_"Well, Tex still managed to do it,"_ Church retorted. _"But the bottom line is, these Freelancers, they're bad news and Tex is one of the worst..."_

"If he's such a badass, why didn't he kill you?" Caboose asked.

_"To tell ya the truth, I don't know _why_ I'm not dead,"_ Church admitted. _"Tex could have killed me at any point. But maybe it's because Tex and I have run into each other once before."_

Tucker was surprised. "Really? Where?"

_"You, err...remember that girl I told you about earlier, back home? Well, let's just say that Tex is the real reason we never got married," _Church admitted.

What-?

Suddenly, he began to disappear. _"Guys, I'm fading fast and I don't know when I'll be back. Just listen to my warning. Don't let Tex get involved here," _Church told them.

"Okay," Tucker replied.

_"I mean it, Tucker," _he warned. _"No fighting, no scouting, nothing. You'll regret it..."_ he completely faded away after that.

Tucker turned to the rookies. "So...Tex and Church were after the same girl."

"Or, it could be that Tex is his girlfriend," Erica said.

"What? Why would you have a girlfriend that can kill people?" Tucker asked. "That doesn't make sense!"

"A lot of people have weird tastes," she simply said before she left for real.

"I told you his girlfriend was a slut," Caboose stated.

Tucker just shrugged.

_**~o~**_

The whole time as we waited for Tex to arrive, I was a bundle of nerves.

I mean, Tex is the most dangerous agent of Project Freelancer - not to mention, she's the Beta AI. Not only was she made to be mean (and able to kick the ass of just about anyone - Carolina didn't get a chance once she has Eta and Iota in her head) - but...getting Tucker to ask about getting me things like clothes, underwear and womanly things when mother nature comes and delivers her 'present' was a HUGE risk.

I'm not really a recruit, and yet somehow I'm here. They'll expect that I'm incognito or some shit, here for the Alpha (which I'm not). But there are a lot of paranoid people out there.

I tried to calm my nerves by figuring out how to use the gun I've got. But, I figured that I should take my helmet off first.

...It took me about thirty minutes to take it off. How in the hell did Caboose put it on over my glasses?! This world doesn't make a lick of sense! ...Until I found a button under the chin, and lifted it up...like a motorcycle helmet.

"Oh," I let out before I took it off. "That's actually convenient."

Ugh, my hair is all over the place. I need to find a hair tie or something to pull this back. Something big to hold it all back.

Stupid thick hair.

I just twirled my hair into a makeshift bun, and set my helmet down. Then I looked over at the gun. "Okay...let's try to get this over with," I muttered to myself, as I pointed the gun at...uh... I lowered the gun. "I should get something to use as practice."

I looked through the base of anything that won't be missed. I found a few cans, but that's just it. I set them outside so that I could practice a little.

"Okay, for real this time," I muttered, pointing the pistol at one of them. "Here we go..."

I squeezed the trigger, expecting a BANG...

But nothing happened.

"Huh?" I let out, looking over at it. The hell? Did I get a jammed one? How the hell do I know it's jammed? I never used a gun before in my life. ...Well, as far as I could remember, anyway.

It took me a few minutes at most to figure out what's wrong, before I gave up and went to Lav (short for Lavernius, but I'm still debating on how to shorten his name into a nickname) for help.

He seemed surprised to know that I don't know how to use it.

"Wait, you never used a _gun_ before?" He asked me, sounding incredulous.

"Well...I don't think so," I admitted. I have a pretty bad memory growing up. But, I guess that's normal, right?

He let out a sigh. "Let me see," he said, holding his hand out.

"Okay," I said, handing him the magnum.

Lav looked over it for a few moments, even checking the gun itself. He pressed something at the side and pointed it-

"AH!" I yelped out when I heard a BANG.

Lav looked over the gun again. "Oh, no wonder," he said, "the safety's on." He turned it to show me a small round button on the side. "See this? This is the safety button. If you don't want to accidentally use it, you just press it, like I did a couple of seconds ago."

…Oh yeeeeah. I think I remember something like that some years ago.

Man I'm so stupid.

"Right, thanks," I muttered, taking the gun from him.

"By the way, why is your helmet off?" Lav then asked me.

"Oh, uh…is it not safe to breathe air here?" I asked him, mildly worried.

"Not really, but…" He looked over at me. "Well, I think it's normal for us soldiers to keep our helmets on all the time."

"Oh," I let out.

"Still…I never imagined that's what you looked like," Lav admitted.

"What, you have something against chicks with glasses?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Well, no, but…I'm just surprised is all." I'm still not convinced – but I'll let it slide…for now.

"Whatever," I let out before I left the base.

"What exactly are you doing anyway?" Lav asked me as I left.

"Practicing," I answered before I walked out of the base. I wanted to practice a bit alone.

With my new found knowledge, I walked out to resume my practice. "Okay…let's hope I don't miss," I muttered to myself-

I heard a gun being cocked, and pressing something against the back of my head. "Don't move," a deep voice said. "And don't make a sound."

…Hoh shit… I'm trying my best not to move or make a sound. Not even a whimper that I wanted to let out as I felt my heart pound.

"Turn around. Slowly."

I did as I was told, trying so hard not to whimper. Then I got myself a look at the person threatening me. The black armor looks different to the Mark V armor we all wore, with a different helmet as well – a Mark VI armor, slimmer but probably stronger than the one I have – and with superior things added to it as well…and they're pointing a pistol at my head.

"Who are you, and why are you at Blood Gulch?" The person demanded.

…Oh my God, Agent Tex is really scary in person…

_**~o~**_

Tex glanced over at this female, eying out for anything suspicious on her.

An Asian complex, brown, curly yet frizzy hair, and her dark eyes quivering in fear behind her glasses. Hmph, she _should_ be afraid. "Well?" She said – using the voice modifier to disguise it – her figurative eyes narrowing.

"Uh…" The female whimpered. "I…I just got here, sir." As she spoke, she told Omega to pull up a scan of this female. "I woke up on the Pelican, and I got here with Private Michael J Caboose. I honestly have no idea why I'm here!" As she spoke, a small window appeared near her health bar.

**No data**, is all it says.

"_She is an anomaly,"_ Omega said to her. _"We should kill her, just to satisfy those dogs."_

Tex narrowed her eyes again. _'No…something isn't right,'_ she said to the AI. _'If she is a spy, she would have hacked into the computers underneath Blood Gulch – still, I'll keep an eye on her, just in case.'_

"_Don't you mean _we_?" _She felt Omega making a dark grin. _"It will be fun to interrogate this unfortunate female."_

'_Right…'_ Tex said, then asked out loud, "Name?"

"Uh- Erica. Erica Helms," she responded immediately.

Tex gave her a once over again…before she reluctantly lowered her gun then said, "At ease." And the female promptly fell to the ground. Tex just stared at the female. _'…What a wimp,'_ she couldn't help but thought, shaking her head. But looks can be deceiving.

"Ugh…" The female let out under her.

Tex then remembered the other thing she had to do and promptly dropped the duffle bag next to her. "Your request is in the bag," she said. Then she turned and walked into the base. She isn't sure why this female is here…but she might as well help out the Blues, as per ordered. And besides…

She might find him here.

_**~o~**_

Honestly, I have no idea how long I've been lying there. I'm just scared shit-less from my encounter from Tex. I mean, I'm still in shock that I'm still alive when I honestly thought I was going to die by her hands. Tex is the best agent of Project Freelancer – and not to mention, the deadliest.

It took me a while to calm my heart rate to the 'safe' level. I slowly pushed myself up-

"Oh dear God!" I yelped out and I heard gun fire, and went back to the ground. I regret taking my helmet off now! Are we under attack?

I spotted my helmet and I slowly began to crawl over to it as I heard more gunfire- wait a minute. It is just one gun. I let out a sigh of relief as I slowly stood up. Okay, that's just Tex using Mikey as…target practice.

…

Oh shit. I grabbed my helmet and put it on before I hurried up there via a ramp. I just saw Tex through a grenade at Mikey, who quickly ran away at the sight and hid behind me. "Uh, hey, Tex? I don't know what it's been like at your other bases, but we try not to use other soldiers as target practice here," Lav said to the black armored soldier – with the grenade exploding as he spoke.

Mikey poked his head out from behind me. "I'm scared," he whimpered.

"Me too, Mikey, me too…" I whispered to him. She threatened my life earlier after all – of course I'm scared of Tex.

…But I have to say, it's actually kind of impressive that Tex made an outline of Mikey perfectly without hitting him once. Though, I looked over Mikey just to be sure.

Man, she is good…

During my mental rambling and inspecting Mikey, Lav spoke to Tex again…with the latter ignoring him as she reloaded her weapons then I saw her took off when I looked back at them.

"I don't think he likes you," Mikey whispered to Lav.

"Thanks…" Lav sighed before we went to the edge to watch Tex go. "Where are you going?" He hollered at her.

Tex turned back to us. "Red Base. Kill everybody. Get the flag back," she simply answered – yeah, she didn't want to stay here any longer. Then she turned and took off.

"Oh… Okay!" Mikey hollered. "We'll just stay here and guard the trans…porter…"

I looked between them. "…Yeah, Church is going to be mad at us for getting Tex involved," I said.

"Why would he care?" Lav asked. "I thought Church wouldn't care if Tex got killed or not."

"Still, WHY would he not want Tex to get involved?" I questioned. "You don't say stuff like that unless that person has some significance."

Lav gave me a look over. "…Is Church like, bi sexual or something?" …_What?!_

"…If he WAS bi sexual, he would be all over you, you know," I pointed out.

"…Good point," the aqua clad male conceded.

Then we heard a distant explosion coming from Red Base. Mikey pulled out a pair of binoculars to look through them, just as we heard, "Sim- where'd he go? Don't kill me; I'm too good-looking to die!"

"Man," Mikey murmured in awe. "He is really kicking their asses."

"How come there's only one Sniper Rifle here in Blue Base, and it just went missing – this is just unfair!" Lav whined- wait, what?

"Wait a minute," I looked over at Lav, "you mean to tell me that Church has the only one and it's missing?"

"Yeah! That's where I went to earlier, to try to take it, but it's gone now!" Lav explained.

…Oh – the Church from the future took it. "…Maybe someone else took it?" I offered.

"Bull shit! Who could've taken it?" I just shrugged at Lav's question.

"Oh! Tex is heading into the base!" At Mikey's exclamation, we tried to peer through his binoculars.

"Do you think he'll return our flag?" Lav asked-

"_Blue team, flag returned,"_ I wasn't the only one who jumped when we heard that deep voice from nowhere.

"What the…? Who said that?" Lav demanded as we turned to the source.

Church – back and in his transparent self – coughed and cleared his throat. _"Sorry, that was me,"_ he said, _"I uh, I guess I got something stuck in my throat. Your flag is back, by the way."_ He gestured to the blue flag back in its place once we looked through the skylight.

"How did…?"

"There's a button on the flag that we just press to get our flag returned," Lav explained to my unfinished question.

"Oh."

"Hiya Church!" Mikey waved at the 'ghost'. "What're you up to?"

"_Yeah, hey Caboose,"_ Church waved back at him half-heartedly. _"But seriously, I'm not really here to make small talk, okay? How'd you guys manage to get the flag back?"_

At that, Lav gave us a look – though I just gave him a look that said 'I told you so' after I lifted up the front of my helmet to make it more effective. "Uh, wh-what? Oh _that_ flag? We've always had _that_."

Even Church can tell that what he said is bullshit. _"Tucker, who do you think you're trying to fool?"_ Then he seemed to blink and looked around. _"Hey, where's Tex?"_

"Uh…" Mikey let out nervously.

I sighed. "We…got him involved," I admitted.

"_You WHAT?!"_ We all cringed at his shout.

"Church, calm down-" Tucker tried to say, but Church just palmed his visor and shook his head.

"_This is just fucking __**perfect**__!"_ He yelled. _"I told you __**specifically**__ that you shouldn't get Tex involved. And _what_ did you guys do?!"_

"…We got him involved," Lav admitted shamefully, as we all hung out heads.

"_And __**how**__ involved?"_

"Very, very involved…" Mikey murmured.

…I feel like I'm a little kid again, being scolded by people whenever I do something wrong. And most of the time, I just disobey things. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who does this.

"Um- Don't worry Church, I think he'll be okay," Mikey spoke up, picking up the binoculars to look back at the base. "Tex should- oh."

"…What?" I asked him.

"Uh…the Red guys are heading into the base right now," Mikey informed us. "It looks- yeah, he's definitely captured… Or dead… Captured or dead…" Then he gasped sharply. "Or captured AND dead!"

"…Mikey, there's no way you can be captured AND dead," I told him, lowering my visor. "If you're already dead, they would've tossed your dead body out."

"Oh."

"_Oh well that's just __**perfect**__!" _Church shouted, mad as hell.

"What!?" Lav cried out. "What is your problem? Why do you even care if he's captured? I thought you hated that guy anyway for stealing your girlfriend."

Church just shook his head. _"I never said I hated Tex,"_ he admitted. _"I just said that __**she**__was the reason why we never got married."_

Mikey looked back at Church as we stared at him. "…'She'?" He repeated.

There was a few beats, so…I decided to fake realization. "…Holy _shit_," I let out. "Tex is your girlfriend?"

"What, what?!" Lav cried out, shocked.

"_Uh, yeah, it's like this,"_ Church began. Then he explained to us about his situation with Tex, her real name is Allison, and that, when Church got into the military, Tex was just shipped off to some project (which is Project Freelancer but…how much of his memories are fake?).

Once Church was finished, Lav shook his head in amazement. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You're telling me that the guy that showed up here, scared the living shit out of us, shot at Caboose and beat the hell out of those Reds wasn't a guy at all? That he was a chick? And on top of that, she was your ex-girlfriend?"

"_In a nutshell, yes,"_ Church nodded. _"That's an excellent summary."_

"Huh," Mikey let out thoughtfully. "Girls never like me but…" he looked over at me. "Erica likes me."

"I…kind of like you like a little brother I never had," I told him. "But, you're young. You didn't know better." I patted him.

"Okay," Mikey said. "That makes me better." I hope so.

"Seriously, though," Lav continued. "I don't think I've seen a girl that _mean_ before. Are you sure she's a chick and not a guy? Or like part guy, part shark?"

"_I'm pretty sure I'd know if Tex was a guy," _Church replied. _"And I'm _definitely_ sure I would know if she was part shark."_

"If she was, then you would be dead _long_ before you met us," I joked.

"_Very funny,"_ Church said to me – in sarcasm. But, meh, I'll take it.

"But, wait," Mikey cut in. "If she's a girl, then why is she named Tex?"

"_Uh, because she's from _Texas,_" _Church answered as if it was obvious.

"…You mean 'Texas' is like her codename?" I asked, slowly – mostly for Mikey's sake.

"_Exactly,"_ Church nodded. _"And you can't blame her for being so aggressive. It's not entirely her fault to begin with."_

"Right, you should blame God," Lav said, sarcastic. "First he makes hangovers and now half women, half sharks that won't even sleep with me." He looked up and shook his fist at the sky. "Thanks for nothing, God!"

I smacked him at the back of his head with my pistol, ignoring his yelp of pain. Heh, you just got pistol whipped. "No chick would go with a rude man, such as yourself," I told him.

"What? Bullshit!" Lav cried out.

"_Knock it off!" _Church shouted at us. _"Look, she got recruited into some kind of weird experimental program back during basic where they infused her armor with this _really_ aggressive AI. I'm not sure how it all works, but all I know is that it made her meaner and tougher than hell."_

"AI…" Mikey repeated. "What's the 'A' stand for?"

"_Artificial,"_ Church answered.

"And the 'I' stands for 'intelligence'," I added.

"Ooohhhhh," Mikey let out, understanding…but: "what was the A again?"

"_Let's move on,"_ Church sighed. Can AIs really feel a headache?

Lav rubbed his chin in thought. "So, the military put this program in her head, and that program made her a killer. But underneath it all, she's really just a sweet, down-home girl?" Not exactly, Lav.

"_Oh hell no,"_ and Church corrects him. _"She's always been a rotten bitch, it's just now she's a rotten bitch with cybernetic enhancements."_

I raised my brow at him. "…And yet you used to date her?"

"_Oh, shut up."_

I rolled my eyes. "I told you people have weird tastes," I said to Lav.

"Yeah, I gotta say, you really won the lottery with that one," Lav let out. "Good catch there, buddy, she's a keeper."

Church seems to roll his eyes, then glanced over at Mikey. _"So how are you doing, Caboose?" _He asked him. _"Are you following any of this whatsoever?"_

"I think so," Mikey replied, tilting his head in thought. "That guy Tex is really a robot and you're his boyfriend. So that makes you… a gay robot."

Suddenly, Tucker burst out laughing. Even I'm surprised. "Yeah! So that makes Church bi-sexual!"

Oh yeah…

And now I'm beginning to chuckle. "Yeah, good one," I said.

Church just groaned as the two of us chuckled, while Mikey laughed along. "I have no idea what we're laughing about," my fellow recruit said after a bit.

It took us a while to calm ourselves, and we looked over at Church. "So, what now?" I asked him.

"_Well…"_ Church began, before he looked over at them. _"I have a great plan for how we're gonna rescue Tex."_

"A plan? Oh man," Lav whined. "I _hate plans._ That means we're gonna have to do stuff. Can't we just have a strategy or…I dunno, a mission statement?"

"It's better than doing _nothing_ all day," I pointed out.

"_Anyway, I just need you guys to run a distraction, while I spring Tex,"_ Church said.

"Distraction?" Mikey repeated, nervously. "That sounds a lot like 'decoy'."

"_The way I see it, the Reds have absolutely no idea how many Freelancers we have out here,"_ Church explained. _"So all I need from you guys is to run around in the middle of the canyon, wearing black armor, while I sneak in the back of the base."_

"Yeah, uh…I don't think that would work," I spoke up – Mikey taking a Sniper Rifle and shooting Church while he's in Sarge's armor, controlling him, came readily to mind.

"_Trust me, it will,"_ Church insisted.

I thought about it…then I said, "Well, if you wanted to rescue Tex, you gotta making it convincing."

"_What do you mean?"_

"Well…say that you took over one of the Reds, and that Red is their commanding officer," I explained. "If you want to convince his subordinates that you ARE their commanding officer…why not take a Blue prisoner?"

There was silence as I waited for Church to consider it. I just…came up with it on the spot.

I mean, it isn't really Mikey's fault that all of these things happened – his future self was the one who started these things anyway. Not to mention that having three AIs in your head – and being forcibly ejected out as well – messed him up pretty bad. So, maybe I can try to make their relationship better-

"_Okay."_

…Huh? "What?" I wasn't the only one who was surprised.

"_We'll go along with your idea,"_ Church said. _"But…you'll be my prisoner."_ He pointed at me when he said that.

"…Aw, crap…" I muttered.

"Okay, that's fine and dandy, but how are me and Caboose going to get two suits of black armor?" Lav asked. Church just gestured to the teleporter. Lav looked between the portal and Church then groaned. "Oh, fuckberries…"

For once, I have to agree. This will suck.

Majorly.

* * *

**Okay, that's all for chapter four. I finally got something for my dad's computer so that I can do this properly. Anyways…**

**Well, it looks like Tex needs some rescuing. Here's to wondering if Erica will also screw this up – would she or would she not? At this rate, who knows?**

**Next chapter, Erica will (technically) meet the Reds. Pray for her!**

**Review please!**


	5. Distractions Are Nice- Err, Sometimes

Fifth chapter people. Let's see how well Erica/me can get through this.

**Disclaimer: I own none of these guys.**

* * *

Me and Church stood at the middle of the canyon, waiting for Lav to emerge from the exit we were looking at – though, I was the only one nervous. I came up with a plan, literally, at the spur of the moment. What the hell was I thinking?!

At the corner of my eye, Church looked over at me. _"Hey, are you sure this plan will work?"_

I just gave him a bored look. "Are _you_ sure that your initial plan will work?"

"_Hey, if this plan fucks up, I know who to blame."_

"And if it works?"

"_Keyword 'if' is used here."_

"Hmm, good point."

At that moment, Lav came tumbling out of the teleporter, his armor black and slightly smoking – I can't help but wince slightly at the impact. _"Are you okay, Tucker?"_

"Yeah I'm fine," he said, wincing as he stood up. "Goddamn that hurts!" I heard him mutter that to himself before he turned back to the Blue Base. "Come on, Caboose!"

"Does it hurt?" Mikey called out to us.

"No, not at all," that's bullshit, and you know it, Lav.

"Okay! Here I come," Mikey yelled back, and I saw him enter the teleporter.

After a beat, Church asked Lav, _"Does it hurt for real?"_

"Oh, yeah, big time," was his answer. Dickhead.

I looked over at the teleporter, and a few seconds later, Mikey emerged, his armor in the similar state as Lav's. "Owwwwchie!" He cried out, falling to his knees.

"Mikey! Are you okay?" I asked him, concerned as I got to my knees to look him over.

"Yeah…" He whimpered, before he glared at Lav. "You lied to me."

The aqua – now black – armored man merely shrugged. "Well, you wouldn't do it unless I told you it didn't hurt."

"_He's got a point, Caboose,"_ Church agreed with him.

"That's still a dick move, you guys," I said as I helped Mikey up.

"_Okay, you two, start moving around in front of Red Base,"_ Church said to the two of them, then looked over at me. _"You're with me."_

"Yes sir," I sighed before the four of us split off to do our tasks.

I mostly followed Church, and taking care to keep out of sight of Sarge and Lopez. This is really, really important after all – I could potentially die- I suddenly froze behind the rock I was hiding at when that thought hit me. I… oh shit. I could…I could actually die out here.

Shit, why dump me in a place full of idiots that have some shit happening nearly every fifteen minutes? ? Dammit!

"_Hey rookie!" _I nearly jumped when I heard the radio go off.

"Uh, y-yes?" I asked shakily.

"_Get over here, hurry!"_ I quickly ran over to where Church is and hid out of the Reds' sight.

I looked over the side, seeing two men – one in red armor, and the other in brown – standing at the top of the base, looking out to the canyon. "…I hope Lav and Mikey will be okay…" I muttered.

"_They'll be fine. They'll-"_ Church paused bit. _"Wait. 'Lav' and 'Mikey'?" _He repeated.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Lav for Lavernius, and Mikey for Michael."

"_Wait- who-who's Lavernius? Caboose?"_

"No man, Mikey is Caboose's first name," I answered. Church stared at me. "…What?"

"_Tucker is black?"_ He muttered to himself, dumbfounded. _"Huh. Actually, I should've pick up on that years ago…"_

I raised my eyebrow. "Lav's been with you longer than we have, and yet you didn't know his first name?"

"_Hey, no one is perfect, okay?" _Church retorted at me. _"…and why have you been calling them by their first name?"_

"Well, I'm more used to calling everyone else by their first," I shrugged. "Just as my full name is Erica Helms, I prefer to be called by my first name. So, to make it fair, I call them by their first names…only with nicknames, y'know?"

"…_Right,"_ Church said, before he turned back to Red Base with a copy of the sniper rifle. …He didn't even bother to notice that he just materialized that thing out of nowhere? I didn't bother to point it out – he'll just say that it's probably just a weird 'ghostly' power he has.

I peeked out from beside the rock Church is at, just seeing Grif go out of the base to get to Sarge. _"Hey, Tucker,"_ Church said to the radio, _"Come in, man. You there? This is Church. It's working. The orange one is coming out of the base. I repeat, the orange one is coming out of the base."_

After a bit, Church nodded. _"Okay, now just keep moving around outside of the base, and draw their attention." _There was a beat. _"I said, just keep movin-."_

Curious, I opened up my comm. to listen. **"-just telling you to let me finish talking to Church,"** Lav said to Mikey. **"…No, I'll tell him you said 'hi' **_**later.**_** No, you can't talk to him. How could you possibly talk to him on my headset?"** I wonder… I mentally thought in sarcasm.

I turned off my comm. at the same time as Church, who just let out a sigh. _"Oh my god. I can't believe I actually _died_ for this war."_

"Well, at least you weren't team killed," I told him as we made our way towards the base.

"_Yeah, I guess that's true."_ We soon found ourselves pressed against the wall of the Red Base, waiting for the Reds to make their move. _"Okay…how do we get their Sergeant's attention?"_

I paused. "…uh… I haven't thought that far ahead," I admitted.

"…_WHAT?" _I winced when Church shouted that. _"You didn't-?! Oh, that's just real great!"_

"What? You're the one who agreed to this!" I retorted.

"_Yeah, but that's because I thought you thought this all the way through!" _Church then sighed, annoyed. _"That's just fan–__**fucking**__–tastic!"_

"It's like you said: no one is perfect!" I exclaimed.

"Hey! What the hell is that racket?!" We froze when we heard a Southern accent shout. We automatically pressed ourselves to the wall and looked up, seeing Sarge coming up to the edge of the wall and looked around. "Hmm…I could've sworn I heard voices over here…"

The two of us gave each other a glance. "So what now, oh great leader?" I hissed through my teeth.

"_Just…go towards the ramp,"_ he whispered. _"Make as much noise as possible."_

"What?!" I harshly whispered.

"Eh, it's probably my imagination," Sarge then said. I looked up in time to see him lowering his shotgun. "Well, we better go and do something about the Special Ops soldiers in front of our base." …Shit!

I sighed before I stepped out. "Hey! You!"

"What the-?" Sarge turned back and looked down at me. "A Blue! I should've known!"

"_C'mon!"_ Church exclaimed and I wordlessly followed him to where the ramp is. Shit, here we go again…!

I panting as I hurried after Church – but I'm also scared out of my mind (yet again) – and I just got to the ramp when Sarge jumped down in front of me, pointing his business end of his shotgun at me. "Freeze, ya dirty Blue!"

I yelped, jumping back. I scrambled to pull out my gun and pointed at him. "Don't move!" I shouted.

"What the-?" Sarge lowered his gun. "A lady? Aw, dagnabit! First the one in black appears, and now this one?"

I raised my brow. "…You have a problem with girls?"

"No!" Sarge said. "The other one is dangerous but you- I can't hurt a girl!"

Oh yeah…I forgot about that. Still, I can't believe my luck as I lowered my pistol, amazed. "Seriously?"

Sarge was about to say something- until Church went into him. "Hgeekagerger!" Sarge exclaimed as Church worked his, um, magic. …It was actually pretty disturbing to see how his body…_twitched_ like that.

"Uh…are…you okay?" I slowly asked, as Sarge – err, Church-Sarge shook his head.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Church said through Sarge. "Anyway, this isn't what I expected, but I'll take it."

"Me too," I agreed. Then I looked up. "Now…we just gotta make it convincing."

_**~o~**_

It took a bit to help Church 'act' as Sarge before we went up there, with my hands behind my head and my pistol confiscated. As we reached Grif and Lopez, the orange clad man (and wow, he really is fat) turned to us. "What the- who the hell is this?" He asked as Lopez looked over at us.

"Uh…" I heard Church let out before he cleared his throat. "I just caught this damn dirty Blue slinking around the base! I'll just put this prisoner down there with the other one!"

Grif looked over at us for a moment…then shrugged. "Eh, okay," he said, turning around. Lopez just shook his head at the lazy orange and looked back out.

…Church and I gave each other incredulous looks – neither of us could believe that this actually worked! Or of the fact that the Reds are full of idiots (like that's anything new…).

"…Right then," Church said before the two of us went into the Red Base.

As it turns out, it has the same mechanism as Blue Base. Church just got near one of the doors and it opened (though, Church should've thought about how suspicious it is that the two bases are designed the same…) allowing us to go through to the prison sector of the base. The two of us looked around the hallway we were walking down.

"Okay," Church began. "Let's split up and search for the prison sector of the base."

I nodded wordlessly and the two of us split up.

I looked around the places I was in, peeking into rooms – showing a kitchen, a bed room, a medical ward, a washroom, and the armory (I quickly looked around for some rifles but the only ones I found are rusty and in need of repairs, so I just left them). It wasn't long until I found myself into a room…

…and I had to hide quickly to avoid being seen, and I just watched as Simmons and Church talked to each other as Tex merely watched. "…got me so _god damn mad,_ I could spit!" Then Church proceeded to hock up and spit onto Sarge's visor.

I palmed my visor at the stupidity I just witnessed.

"Uh…right then, sir," Simmons let out, not only disgusted but also really confused. "But, seriously," Simmons turned around to Tex, "I'm starting to think that-" Church then acted quickly, punching Simmons at the back of his head. "OW, geez, the back of my head!" Was the last thing he cried out before he slumped to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tex let out – oh, the voice modifier is gone. Hello Tex's female voice – surprised by this.

I stepped out of the shadows as Church worked to spring Tex out. "Oh, you found her," I said as I walked over Simmons. "Cool."

Tex looked over at me (though I couldn't help but flinch when she did so). "Hey, aren't you that girl I saw earlier back at Blue Base?"

"Yeah, uh, she's helping me spring you out, Tex," Church explained as the cell opened. "Anyway, it's me, Church! We've come to rescue you."

Tex looked over at Church. "You're kind of short to be Church," she pointed out.

"What?" Church asked in confusion.

I looked over at him. "You're using the Red's body to get in here," I reminded him.

"Oh yeah, right, I knew that," Church said before he stepped out of Sarge's body.

"Hurk!" The man yelped as he came back to reality. I watched as he stumbled backwards and then looked around in confusion. "What in Sam Hell? Where the- Who spat on my visor?" Thankfully, he turned the other way (since I'm at his left) to take off his helmet and began to clean his visor. I wanted to see what he looks like but…I stepped a couple of inches away from him to avoid being seen.

I caught part of Church's explanation when I returned my attention back to them. _"-possessed this Red guy so that the two of us can sneak into the Base and rescue you while the rest of our guys run around out in the middle of the canyon dressed in black armor that they got from going through the teleporter."_

Spirit my ass.

I glanced over at Tex as she was silent for a moment then she simply said, "Okay."

"_What? That's it?"_ Church cried out in surprise as she stepped out of the cell. _"Okay? You're not surprised by any of this?"_

"No," Tex replied with a shrug, as she grabbed her weapons the Reds confiscated from her. "It pretty much all makes sense."

"_Not even the whole 'Church is a ghost' thing?"_ Church asked and – _holy crap, what the fuck is that?! –_ I shuddered after the experience. _"That didn't do anything for you?"_

"I can see right through you," Tex pointed out. "It's pretty obvious."

I was still trying to get over that…weird _thing_ that I just went through as I put my hand over my abdomen, to make a witty response. "…I can't believe you fucking _did_ that!" I let out, glaring at Church.

He just shrugged. _"Well, I have to prove my point."_

I just flipped him off.

"_Anyway, let me hop back into this guy and we'll get outta here,"_ Church said, looking over at Sarge (who just finished cleaning his helmet and placed it back on) and went back into his body.

'…_Uh, that sounds kind of _wrong_ right there…'_ I thought, feeling a bit of a blush on my face.

Then we proceeded out of the base. But when we got to the flag room, I just remembered something. "Wait," I called out.

The two AIs looked over at me. "What is it now?" Church asked me.

I looked up at the roof…then back at them. "You wanna fuck with these guys by causing some…chaos?" I asked them with a smirk on my face. "You know, as a bit of revenge for what you guys went through?"

The two of them gave each other a look, then back at me. "You know…I think you might be on to something," Church said with a smirk in his voice. "I'd like a little pay back for what happened earlier."

But Tex seemed skeptical. "What exactly are you going to do?"

I simply looked over at Church…and smirked. "…Have you guys heard of Caramelldansen?"

_**~o~**_

Around Red Base, each team is keeping an eye out for trouble…well, one of them mostly. The orange clad man is bored out of his skull. Dexter Grif yawned, then smacked his lips a little.

"…Well, this is boring," he muttered. He glanced over at Lopez but turned back. The whole time that he had known Lopez, he hardly spoke at all. He must've been those strong, silent types – and he's pretty good with machines.

…It did seem odd that he drinks oil. Plus, Grif was pretty sure that he had never heard of any new recruits before Donut came along – not that he pays attention to the looney old man (him and his crazy orders) but there are times where he DOES pay attention…but he'd rather piss off the old man than to do whatever he says. Anyway, he was pretty sure that he didn't hear about Lopez being their new recruit or something – the guy just appeared out of nowhere one day.

…Ah well, he's mostly bored. He usually has Simmons to talk with and since he's guarding that black clad chick (and she was actually pretty scary) and Sarge taking the other Blue prisoner – where did that one come from anyway? Is that one also another recruit? – down there, and not to mention that Donut is shipped back to command for treatment, he barely had anyone to talk to.

The orange clad man sighed. "God I am so bored…"

Grif isn't the only one bored out of his skull. Tucker leaned against the rock he's hiding in, his knees drawn up and chin in his hand as he idly drummed his fingers against his leg. He hadn't heard from Church or Erica that they had managed to save Tex – it might've been their luck that those two got captured or some shit.

"Tucker?" Oh, and he had to put up with Caboose the whole time.

The aqua clad man shifted his head to stare at the other new recruit that had gotten to his rock again. "What is it, Caboose?" He asked boredly.

"Are Church and Erica okay?" The rookie asked, clearly worried about the two.

Tucker let out a sigh. "I don't know dude," he answered, "If they were, we probably would've known by now."

At that very moment the Sergeant of the Red Army of Blood Gulch walked up to both Grif and Lopez. "Hello, men," he said, getting a confused look from Grif and Lopez.

"Uh…hi?" The orange clad man hesitantly answered. "Weren't you downstairs with Simmons?"

"I was, but I figured that he could handle the two prisoners for now," Sarge answered. "But while he's doing that, I have come to see that the moral of this team have gotten drastically low!"

"Yeah, no shit," Grif deadpanned – Donut was airlifted out of here after he somehow managed to survive a grenade stuck to his head! "It's not like this team has much to do anyway."

Sarge looked at him. "…Well, in that case, I'm not sure you would like to see this."

"See what?" Grif blinked.

Tucker peeked over his rock. "What's Sarge doing?" He asked.

"I don't know," Caboose answered- before there was radio sounds.

"**Lav, come in Lav,"** Erica's voice spoke up.

"Wha? Erica, that you?" Tucker blinked. So they rescued Tex? Then what's the hold up.

"**Yup,"** Erica simply answered. **"Now, is it possible that our helmets can record whatever we see?"**

The aqua clad man raised an eyebrow. "Uh…yeah. Why exactly?"

"…**Turn your attention to the Reds and press play,"** for some odd reason, she was unable to hold in her laughter, making him blink again.

"Uh…o-kay, whatever," he muttered slowly as he turned and did so. "Why?"

"**I think you'll love this,"** there were a few more chuckles before it cuts off.

"…Why are chicks so weird?" Tucker asked himself.

He watched the Reds intently.

"As the leader of Red team, it is my job to make sure that my team is in tip top condition," Sarge said. "And be aware of unexpected things. How unexpected, I leave that to your imagination."

"Could you get to the point, Sarge?" Grif just told him – he has no fucking idea where this is going, and if Sarge does something weird-

"Okay, what I have in mind…is this!"

And then he proceeded to do something that no one has seen in hundreds of years (literally):

Caramelldansen.

Grif just stood there in shock (even as he's wondering where the song came from – it's even in its foreign version!) as the old man did that corny dance in front of them.

He wasn't the only one, as Tucker is just as shocked…even while Caboose clapped to the song.

At that moment, Tex and Erica ran by them, the latter cackling. "Meet us later!" The indigo clad female exclaimed.

"What-what the hell is-?" Tucker was about to ask them before the song began to end.

"Okay! That's about it! G'night!" Tucker looked back at Sarge's sudden declaration when the song ended…then he fell back.

"…What happened?" Caboose asked.

"I have no fucking idea…" Tucker muttered as he stood up and they both took off.

It's been a weird day…but, uh, they managed to save Tex, right?

At Red Base, Grif looked over at Sarge, who seemed to have passed out after doing that...dance. "…Sarge? Uh…are you alive?"

At that moment, Simmons came up to them. "What was going on?" He asked. "I got knocked unconscious then I woke up by the Caramelldansen song. I went to see who turned it on, but I saw no one in there."

Grif glanced at Sarge again, then at Simmons. "Uhh…I'd rather forget what I just saw," he simply said.

"Why? What happened?" Simmons asked.

"Just…don't ask, dude," Grif muttered before he walked off.

Simmons watched him go, completely confused. "…What the fuck happened? ?" He questioned.

Sarge merely grumbled in his state. Something about 'monkeys' and other things.

"…Can you at least help me get Sarge to bed?!" Simmons shouted out to Grif.

"Sorry, I can't hear you!" Grif shouted back.

"…Sometimes, I fucking hate him…" the maroon clad man seethed under his breath.

Lopez slowly shook his head at them.

* * *

…**Yeah, I haven't updated in a while so I gotta put up this piece of shit chapter so you guys won't wonder if I'm dead or not. The last part of the chapter is being a bitch to me, and there's something that I wanna do coming up real soon, so…why, I'm stopping the chapter here. Yeah, sorry that I hadn't updated in a while – a lot of distractions came in the way (such as Fire Emblem Awakening).**

**Well, reviews are nice too – so please leave some and hopefully, I'll see you guys with a new chapter soon!**


	6. Zero

*listening to Bluemenkranz to say anything, but held up a sign that said* "Erica will find something…surprising on herself. A lot of things. Enjoy."

**Disclaimer: I own none of these guys – EVER.**

* * *

"So you're telling me that Church possessed Sarge for you guys to get in, got Tex out, and then you made a plan to make Sarge do Caramelldansen to distract them, while you and Tex escaped?"

I nodded to Lav's summary of what happened for the past hour. "Yup."

It's been a while after we rescued Tex, and she stuck around to wait for Church to return from the 'dead' to talk to him – _'Speaking of which, where does Church go afterwards?' _I thought randomly to myself. _'Do AIs need to recharge somewhere?'_ – and, once again, me and Mikey cleaned his armor before I got Lav to help me clean Mikey's. To distract myself, I told Lav and Mikey of what happened at Red base while they were distracting the Reds.

Anyway, I got done with my story around the same time that we finished cleaning Mikey's armor. "There you go," I said as I tossed away the now useless rag. "All clean!"

"Oh, thank you!" I could hear the smile in his voice. "I gotta say, that this was the best day ever… well, besides Church dying and all."

"Speaking of which," Lav looked over to where Tex, "she's been sitting there practically all day."

"I guess she's waiting for Church to return to the world of the living," I 'guessed'. "But, I dunno when that guy will appear again." I added with a shrug.

Lav then looked up. "Well, I don't think he'll pop up anytime soon," he said. "'Cause the sun is setting." What?

I looked up as well, to see that he sun really IS setting. What the hell?! "What the fuck?" I let out, pointing at the sky. "But…But…! Did we really waste an entire day doing all of this?!"

This is-! But-! I didn't even _notice_! What the fucking hell?!

"Uh…you do realize you're on an alien planet, right?"

…

I looked over at Lav after he said that, my arm lowering and looked back up. "…Oh."

I…uh, I forgot about that…

…Not to mention that I'm a machinima based on a popular game, more than 500 years into the future…

"You really need to be up to date, Erica," Lav said, his arms crossed.

"…Right, um…I'm just tired," I muttered. "It's been a long and crazy day for me – I can't even tell you…"

"Yeah, I hear you," Lav nodded.

I looked back up at the sky again. "Well, I guess I can call it a night I guess," I muttered. I then looked over my armor. Do I…sleep in this or something?

…No fucking way – this armor is too bulky, and probably uncomfortable. I wanted to know how to get this off…but I can't trust Lav (because, well, you know), and Caboose got here at the same time as me, so I don't think he also knew what to do. So my only choice is…I looked over to Tex. _'Well, here goes nothing,'_ I thought as I made my way over to the Freelancer.

"Whoa, wait a minute! You got a death wish or something?" I heard Lav call out to me.

"I just need to ask her about something is all," I called back. "Something I can trust her with!" I proceeded to ignore what Lav has to say, heading over to Tex with a purpose.

Before I knew it, I was standing at a safe distance from the AI. "Uh…hey Tex." She didn't make an indication of hearing me, even as I stood there for a while. So I decided to try again. "Uh…can I ask you something, Tex? Something that we ladies can talk about?"

I waited again for a response. I had no idea how long it took, but finally, Tex turned her head to me. "What do you want?"

I was nervous to say the least, but I cleared my throat, mentally preparing myself…

"Say, uh, Tex? Could you help me out with this armor?" I asked her after a few moments. "The sun is setting and I'd like to get into some…comfier clothes. Please?"

Again, it's hard to tell what she's thinking or what her expression is with that helmet on…but, then again, she's probably a robot, she might now have a face…

"You don't know how to get out of your armor?" I'm back from my thoughts when I heard Tex asking me that. She sounded…incredulous when she asked me that.

"Uh…" Is it bad that I don't? "…Not really…"

Tex looked over at me for a moment…before sighing. She turned and walked by me-

"Whoa!" I yelped out when I was suddenly jerked to follow her. I looked down at my arm – when did she grab my arm? "Hey! Where are-? Geez!"

I was half-led, half-dragged to the inside of the base, only stopping to pick up the bag Tex had gotten for me (and I honestly forgot about it. Whoops) and continuing into the base. We went through a few corridors before we ended up in one of the rooms. I looked around – I don't remember seeing this room…

But then again, Tex just put in a code for that special key pad outside of it (and I did notice that keypad but I didn't pay much mind to it since I don't know the code).

She lifted me up like I weigh nothing (then again, she's a robot), showing me the room. "Now, since we have armor that weighs half a ton, they're calibrated to be fitted onto a person they were designed for," Tex explained to me, "And because of that, they're too heavy for humans to lift and take off on their own."

I was about to say something- but then a question hits me. "Wait, so why are we given super heavy armor in the first place?" I asked her – we're just simulation troopers (I'm here now, so I might as well consider myself one too)! "Are we really at war with each other?!" But…deep down, I think I knew the real answer.

We're just help for practice – simulation soldiers have no skill in an actual war. Some are just too lazy, some are stupid, some have poor leadership skills, some have poor survival skills…or some just don't give a damn about war. I don't give a damn about it either – because I thought war is just…pointless. Fighting for land, money, among other things…they seem significant at first, but as it goes down in history, and we learn it…we then realize that most of it was just pointless. Meaningless bloodshed that painted the Earth red since the dawn of time. And as we grew in intelligence, we find other means to destroy ourselves…

Isn't life precious? I know we all die someday…but why go with violence? Why the meaningless fighting? The only time we unify is when our race is in danger…and in this timeline, they all unified when the Covenant attacked humanity. It lasted for so long, and so many lives were taken – both human and alien. All for technology that we have no right to use?

We may have been 're-claimers' as the Prometheans have titled us…but do we really deserve to go out further than our world? The Forerunners have started this…will everything end with them as well…?

I was (literally) jerked out of my thoughts, and head, "Hey, you heard me?"

"Huh?" I smartly let out. "Wha? What are we talking about? I was lost in thought."

Tex let out a sigh. "In short, yes, you are at war, but you needed all the practice you'll need to take each other out," she said.

"…Oh," I let out – though, inside, I was mentally shouting, _'Bullshit! That's bullshit and you know it Tex!'_

"Now," she then dropped me on my feet (though I swayed a bit to keep my balance), "Go in front of the computer, put your feet on those circles and spread out your arms."

I looked back at her with a blink then looking over at a screen on the wall in front of me. Then at the circles on the ground in front of it. Uh…

"Hey!" I yelped out as I was shoved forward. I glared back at the Freelancer then back forward. "Okay, okay… I'll go. Geez…"

I stepped onto the circles and held out my arms. "Okay, now what?"

Suddenly the computer flashed before me and it ran numbers and words that I have no hope of ever memorizing quick enough. Then, these two…machine things came up from the panels on the floor and grabbed me by the arms and legs and lifted me up. "Uh- Ah!" I yelped out as I was suddenly taken under.

"What- what is-?! Oh my god! Oh my god! Stop! Stop it-! Dah! Is that supposed to touch there?! Eeeeeh!"

Finally, it was over, and I was hoisted back onto the ground…and I fell onto the ground – armor-less instead of the black under suit underneath it. "Ugh…"

"…Should you _really_ make those sound effects?" Tex asked me after a few moments.

"…Shut up," I muttered as I lied there for a bit.

Finally, I slowly pushed myself up and I stretched, hearing the bones of my spine pop. "That…was unpleasant…"

"Well, that's how everyone – including the Spartans – take their armor off," I nearly jumped when I heard Tex talking. I looked back, as she added, "Of course, the Reds and Blues don't have the luxury of having a lot of people taking their armor off. So, machines are built in their place."

Huh – Project Freelancer must've been really cheap…

If they had more funding, would all of this be averted…?

"That's so cheap…" I muttered.

I looked back up to Tex. "Anyway, can you leave? I don't undress in front of other people."

Tex stared at me. "Even in front of other women?"

"Hey!" I yelped out, covering my body. "I'm very conscious of my…body…"

Tex noticed me trailing off. "…Is something wrong?"

I didn't answer as I looked over my body. What the-? What happened to my bod?

I know I'm not proud of what my body is like – I'm fat, but NOT as fat. I'm a weird skinny fat – fat on my stomach, biceps, and thighs, with bits of it on my forearms and my calves (since I run around too much to build a bit of muscle there).

They're…missing! Gone!

I looked at Tex. "Uh…excuse me!" I blurted out before I hightailed it towards the bathroom.

I didn't hear Tex, but my mind was set on finding a mirror.

Finally, I found the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

I could hardly recognize the young woman before me.

My hair is still the same color, and so are my eyes…but I noticed an odd red ring around my pupils after I looked closer. And there's this strange dye on my hair mixed in with my hair – it's a red dye, but when I felt it…it feels like _hair_, not dye. Also, my face is _flawless._ No scars, no blackheads, pimples…and I hardly had any fat there as well.

I backed away. What-what the hell _happened_ to me?!

"…Something must be wrong if you looked like you can't recognize yourself," Tex stated.

I didn't acknowledge her. And it seems my body decided to do something on its own.

I fainted.

_**~o~**_

_I felt an odd sensation. I felt that I was…someplace, but I don't know what._

_I opened my eyes – and regretted that decision. I hissed as bright light hit my retinas and I quickly closed my eyes. Wha-what the hell is that?! I squinted my eyes open…and I saw the lights doctors used for surgery. The hell…?_

_I tried to move, but to my horror, I could hardly move my body. Or even my neck when I tried to crane my neck down to look._

_I began to hyperventilate as instinct began to kick in, my body beginning to struggle. But they were limited as I felt metal bindings on my arms, legs, neck, even around my abdomen._

_Footsteps reached my ears and I looked back up at my 'kidnappers'. Three heads appeared, but I couldn't tell what their faces look like – they were wearing a type of helmet._

"…_more stable… proceed with…experiment," I thought I heard one of them say, but I could hardly hear them with the way that I'm having a- oh yeah, it's a panic attack. Fucking hell, I'm having a panic attack! Oh god, oh god – what are they going to do with me?! What are they-?!_

_Oh. Something went into my system._

_My eye lids are getting heavy._

'Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep!'_ My mind begged me. _

'Hey, it's getting harder to stay awake, boss,' _I said right back._

'No don't! You can't fall asleep! Who knows what they'll do to you!'

'I…'

'Stay awake!'

'I…'

'STAY AWAKE!'

'I…can't…' _My body succumbed to the drug in my system, and I closed my eyes…_

"_She's asleep. Let's proceed with creating number zero."_

I found myself staring at the ceiling above me. I was lying on a bed, blinking up at what's above me.

Slowly, I pushed myself to sit up and looked around. This…isn't my room.

I let out a sigh. "I was hoping it was all a dream…"

"What was all a dream?"

"Son of a bitch!" I yelped out as I jumped- and fell off my bed. "Oww…"

Slowly, I pulled myself back onto the bed with a groan. I looked up to the source, seeing Tex leaning against the wall. "…How long have you been in here?" I asked her. Don't tell me that I had been out all night…

"Eh, just a couple of hours," Tex shrugged. "Tucker and Caboose just ate and lounging around."

"…Oh," I let out as I pulled myself to sit on the bed, cross legged – I'm now wearing a tank top and some shorts, and I noticed my glasses on the small table next to the bed I'm in. I picked them up and placed them on. "So you're the one who put me in this, right?" If Lav was the one who'd undressed me…

"Well, I can already see that Tucker is perverted," Tex admitted. "He kept hitting on me after I undressed you and placed you here. He's pretty stubborn, I gotta tell you."

"Yeah, Lav seems like a kind of person who won't give up," I let out, looking down at my legs.

…Even my hair on them is gone…

"So what was that all about?" Tex then asked me. "With you fainting and shit?"

...SHIT.

I looked up at her, nervous. "Uh…that is to say, um…" How can I tell this to the most dangerous Freelancer/AI with an aggressive AI used by her?

…Though, I think she's more suspicious of me now since I fainted back there…

"…Would you believe that this body in front of you isn't always like this…?" I tentatively asked.

Tex stared at me. _'…I am so dead…!'_ I mentally whimpered, feeling my heart pound rapidly. _'I am so fucking dead!'_

"I see."

…Huh? "What?" I let out, surprised. That was…that wasn't a response I expected.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still not sure if you are who you claim to be," Tex explained, "But from your actions in the afterhours, and of this moment, you're just…confused. So…give it to me straight: you have no idea WHY you're here, right?"

I stared at Tex for a few moments. I'm wondering if I should answer her question with honesty – but…this is Agent _fucking_ Texas. The Beta AI. She lived part of her life as a lie…so…

I thought over my answer carefully. "…Well, to be honest, no. I was at home, and then I went to sleep; though, when I woke up, I ended up on the Pelican with Mikey. I don't know how I got on there – I'm not even a real soldier. My eye sight is horrid, I have flat feet, and I don't have any real training on martial arts and fire arms…hell, I don't even have intel AND medical training."

I sighed. "Just…WHY am I here…?"

The two of us are enveloped in silence, as I just sat there. A part of me is waiting anxiously on what Tex might say.

"...Well, we're all here for one reason or another," Tex finally said. I looked up at her. "But you have to figure out why your here on your own."

I frowned and crossed my arms. "That didn't make me feel any better..."

Tex shrugged. "Well, this is reality, you just have to make the best of it."

I let out a grunt. "Anyway, I gotta get something to eat now," I said as I stood up. "I can't stay in here, hiding, you know?" Plus, I haven't eaten a _thing_ since I got here.

As if on cue, my stomach growled.

It's weird that I didn't feel hungry until I thought of that...but that's probably from all of the things that were happening today (At least, that's what I'm thinking).

I looked down at my assets. "But, uh, I gotta put on a bra."

"...What size do you wear?" I looked over at Tex when she asked me that when I began to try to rummage in the bag.

"Uh...why?"

"I just brought a bunch of them in all sizes," Tex simply answered, shrugging.

I looked down at the bag, then unzipped it and turned it upside down. I shook it a little...and all sorts of colored bras in varying cup sizes fell onto the floor, along with underwear and some other casual clothes. I stared.

I picked one of them at random to see if there's a tag to see what bra size this is; and I quickly found it - it's a 32 A. "...This could take a while..."

And it took a while indeed. I found a couple that are my size and toss away the others I don't need.

...And the pile of bras that I don't need is a pretty big one.

I held up one of the bras in my size. "Okay, I guess I'll wear one of these."

I then went under the blanket and put it on - yes, I am THAT self-conscious about my body. At least whoever did...THIS to me kept my bodice the same.

"There we go, all better," I let out, flinging the blanket off of me.

"...You really _are_ weird," Tex commented as I got up.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty self-conscious, as I said," I admitted, doing some stretches.

But as I stretched out my right arm, using my left hand to help, I then noticed something...odd on the right shoulder of my arm.

It's... a tattoo. A tattoo with the double digits of '0'.

"Where'd I get this tattoo?" I muttered to myself, looking over at it.

"What'd you say?" Tex asked.

I glanced at her. I was half tempted to ask her...

But I decided not to. "It's nothing," I said, lowering my arms. "Anyway, later." I then walked out of the room, intent on getting some food.

...And a part of me is gleeful that I can _finally_ see Lav and Mikey out of their armors!

Sklee.

As soon as I walked in, I noticed two people I didn't recognize. One of them is a dark skinned male with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes, and wearing an aqua colored tank top and a pair of shorts (and I gotta say, he's pretty good looking). Another is a young man - probably a couple of years younger than I am - with cropped blonde hair, brown eyes, and wearing a simple blue shirt and baggy pants.

They were sitting on the couch, watching a bit of TV. The kitchen is at the other end of the room, and I looked back at the men. Well, I can't be seen, so I better sneak past them...

...Well, _try_ to anyway. I'm not that great at stealth.

But, dammit, I need to eat!

Looking over at the two men, and back at the other door, I slowly made my way over to the door.

I was halfway there, and I thought that I could manage this-!

Until, I have no fucking idea how, but I missed seeing the small, square table with a small vase on top of it - because of that, the corner of it hits me on my side.

"Fucking shit-!" I yelped, holding my side- then I fumbled as I tried to save the vase that wobbled around a bit far much to the side. I grabbed it-

But it somehow slipped through my fingers and shattered on the ground.

My eyes were comically wide at what I had done. But...

"...Please tell me they didn't hear that..." I muttered, glancing over at the two males.

Sure enough, they did. The dark skinned male shook his head at me. "You're pretty clumsy, you know." His voice sounds...familiar.

Then I scolded myself for being slow for not realizing it sooner. "Lav?" I blinked, stunned.

"Hi Erica!" ...And that was Mikey just now. I really am slow...

"Uh...hey Mikey," I greeted back.

Lav looked over at me. "Huh, so this is what you look like without your armor. You filled out pretty good."

"Hey, eyes off me," I scolded, crossing my arms.

"Are you okay, Erica?" Mikey asked me. "Tex told us that you fainted some time ago and said we shouldn't disturb you."

"Yeah, but Tex has been in there for a while," Lav added, before he raised an eyebrow. "Is she...like, cheating off of Church by checking you out?"

I sputtered. "Wh-what?!"

"I wouldn't blame her," Lav continued shamelessly. "I mean, you've got a great figure. Your boobs are a good size, and so is your hips. Now, if you have a pretty big ass, then you're set. Guys would be all over your ass. Bow Chicka Bow Wow."

...I tried to cover my (admittedly big) ass. "Shut up..." I uttered, my cheeks red.

It will be okay Erica, just ignore the pervert – you've done that with a lot of people in the past, you can still do it now.

And so I quickly took off to the kitchen, ignoring Lav calling out to me.

I couldn't help but feel like that I've forgotten something.

_**~o~**_

Stand on top of the canyon, she stared down at the Blue base – or more specially a small tablet screen that shoes the infrared forms of the inhabitants within it. One in particular is scurrying away as another tried to go after the other…the person scurrying away had a part of her right shoulder outlined in a number.

Both digits is of the same number: 00.

She heard the comm. go off in her helmet and answered it. "This is she." A pause. Then: "Yes, Number Zero has been acumilated into the Blues. The idiots at Command have gotten suspicious, but couldn't confirm that she isn't one of them." Another pause, then she sighed. "Fine. I'll keep an eye on her for a little while longer. Yes. Right, over and out." She hung up and stared back at the Blue base.

"...There was supposed to be only seven," she muttered to herself. "Why is there a person with the number zero?"

She has been wondering about that since they got her out of the lab. What sort of power does she have?

Reluctantly, she has to continue monitoring her - she has to keep the AI and Project Freelancer in the dark about this...

* * *

**Hmm...what do you suppose is happening here?**

**I'll betcha a lot of you are wondering how Erica could see the tattoo and the others can't? I won't reveal! ****:3**

**Here's hoping you guys will review! Positive ones, thank you.**


	7. Things Go Down Hill- Fast

And so we're back to the madness of Red vs Blue. Yup, back to the action (if you can call it that).

**Disclaimer: Roosterteeth owns Red vs Blue. Yes, including the dick Chairman and his just as worse douchebag mercenaries Locus and Felix. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

As I felt myself being half asleep, I was acutely aware of chuckles - or is that...giggling - in the room.

_"Tell me, what did the dog say?"_ Hmm...That voice sounds really familiar...

Obliviously, I mumbled out, "Hhmm, the dog said, 'He isn't home right now. He's having some tea with Mr. Fox'..."

_"And again, tell me, what did Mr. Fox say?" _Why is that voice laughing?

Again, I answered, "Mr. Fox is lonely. He just wanted some loving..."

_"I-Is that so? ?"_ Then the voice just burst out laughing. Seriously, who is that? ?

I finally decided to open my eyes to see the source. It seems to be a guy in white armor...but he's transparent-

Wait. A white soldier who's transparent? Suddenly, I recognized the voice as I shot up from bed. "CHURCH?!"

The fucking AI managed to control his chuckles to look over at me. _"Do-Do you realize that you talk in your sleep?" _Then he went back to laughing.

Suddenly, I felt horrified. I-I was talking in my sleep?! _Again?!_ What the fuck?! I- wait.

"How-How long have you been here?!" I asked, mortified.

_"Oh, I appeared a couple of hours ago in your room," _Church shrugged. _"Then I heard you talking in your sleep - it freaked me out at first, but when I added a couple comments, you actually responded!"_

My eyes went really wide. Two hours?! G-Goddamit...

I buried my face into my pillow. "I fucking hate you," I said through the pillow.

_"Well, I need a way to entertain myself,"_ Church said nonchalantly.

_'Ugh...still a prick as always...'_ I mentally grumbled as I pushed myself up and glanced over at the clock-

I froze a bit before I picked it up. It took me a moment for it to properly register in my mind after reading it several times.

4:09 A.M. It then shifted to 4:10 A.M.

Two hours...

I slowly turned my head to stare at the AI. "...You've been here...for two hours."

_"Yeah."_

"Two...in the fucking morning."

_"Yeah? Is that a problem?"_ Church asked me, bored.

"It kinda is when I wanted to sleep until my usual time," I replied with the same bored tone.

_"What? At nine?"_

"Umm...afternoon, really," I admitted. There was silence. "...There are a lot of boring shows in the morning."

_"Oh,"_ Church let out, understanding. _"That makes sense."_

"Yeah," I nodded. Then I looked at him. "By the way, where have you been? It's been two days since then."

Two days of boredom, watching TV, ignoring Lav (he is VERY persistent, even if he's good looking), seeing Tex practice outside of the base and playing games with Mikey. I didn't tell them off the odd tattoo on my right shoulder and they didn't even seem to notice.

...Not to mention that Tex seemed to be having a pretty close eye on me. Sometimes, I found the Freelancer watching my every move (and it is _really _creepy); other times, I felt eyes on the back of my head, and I tried to look to the source, I find nothing there – I kept having a feeling it was Tex, but I was too scared to ask her directly. How can you blame me – Lav and Mikey are also scared of her! I guess we tried to get used to her in our own way.

"_Hey! Are you listening to me?" _I jumped when I suddenly heard Church shout at me.

"Oh! Uh- Sorry, I was lost in thought," I apologized, rubbing the back of my head.

Church groaned. _"Okay, listen, I'm not at full power right now,"_ he said. _"But I should be tomorrow. So tell Tex and the other guys that I'll be back here tomorrow."_

"Ah," I let out- then I thought of something. "Wait a minute, couldn't you have appeared where Tex is and told her? Or Lav or, hell, even Mikey?"

Church tilted his head a bit. _"Well...I tried to, but for some odd reason, I appeared in your room. That and... Well, you know."_

I raised my eyebrow. "Oookay..." I let out slowly. "Just...get out of my room, I'm going back to sleep."

_"Fine with me," _Church shrugged. He began to fade out. _"Remember what I said: I'll be back tomorrow! You hear?"_ Then he disappeared.

"...Good riddance..." I mumbled, lying back on the bed. I turned the clock away from my face, pulled the covers over me and snuggled into the bed.

...I hope I can go back to sleep.

_**~o~**_

The day went by pretty quick actually. I did my usual routine, but I told the others that Church will come back tomorrow afternoon (or somewhere around there). Mikey looks ecstatic while Lav looked like he didn't care. Tex...Well, it's hard to figure out what she's thinking because she wore armor the whole time - which is odd to Lav and Mikey but I already knew the truth.

And it was in the morning (or five minutes to 12, so maybe midday instead) that I came into the kitchen. Though, I should've noted the argument in the kitchen as I made my way there (but I'm trying to make my mind wake up) - though I _was_ startled when I heard how loud it was. Once I walked in, I found the source:

Tex and Church are arguing with each other as Lav and Mikey just watched.

I went over to where the two are, quietly sitting down. "So, what's going on?" I murmured to them.

"Well, Church appeared like you said, and he and Tex had been arguing with each other for a while now," Lav told me.

"You don't say…" I mumbled, and the three of us watched the two of them bicker like a married couple.

…Wow. That was…a very weird thought I had. Tex technically came from Church, who is the Alpha AI. And…she's Beta. Wouldn't that make her…Church's daughter?

"Eww…"

"What?" Lav asked me.

"It's nothing," I told him. "Just a weird thought I had."

"…I don't think I want to know what it is," the dark skinned male commented.

"I'd rather you don't," I replied. I don't think he can make a perverted joke about incest…but I'm not taking any chances.

The argument had been going on for a while, until Tex said, "As far as I'm concerned, I'm square with you."

Hmm, where have I heard this? I thought sarcastically as we looked to Church, as he deadpanned, _"I saved you from a life of imprisonment. How the hell are you square with me?"_

"Because _I_ didn't kill you back at Sidewinder," Tex retorted. No, you didn't kill him, you tried to rescue him (which failed when he's nothing more than a hollow shell of his former self – and this dickhead is what we got) – which reminds me, is Tex that cold blooded to kill the Reds if she got bored? …Well then, it's a good thing we got her out.

"_-is the same thing as doing them a favor,"_ I tuned back to the conversation in time to hear Church say that.

"Well, if you don't appreciate it, I could just kill you now," Tex simply said, pulling out a pistol nonchalantly.

"_No, you can't! I'm already dead, bitch!"_ Church retorted smugly. _"I guess the joke's on you!"_

"There are ways to kill ghosts you know," Tex said with a flat tone.

Church _winced_. _"Hey, listen, I just-"_

"STOP IT!" Mikey suddenly shouted, surprising the shit out of us as he comically waved his hands. "Stop fighting! Can't you see you're tearing us apart?! WHAT ABOUT US?"

"What about you?" Tex asked him, confused.

"We helped you too!" Mikey exclaimed. "And what do we get? Nothing!"

"Well yeah, but-"

_"Yeah, but nothin',"_ Church cut her off. _"He's got a point."_

"I did help them get the flag back," Tex pointed out.

"Yeah, but you were _paid_ to do that," Lav reminded her. "We rescued you as a favor. We could have just let you rot in the Red Army prison." He shrugged a bit, uncaring. "It wouldn't have made any difference to us."

"...That's a bit mean to say, but yeah," I finally spoke up to add in my piece. "What they said."

Tex looked over at us for a bit then sighed. "Okay, fine," she conceded, putting the pistol away. "I'll stay here for as long as it takes to help you win this thing." Then she leaned towards us. "So, what do you need me to do?"

I blinked - that was...odd. I'd figure that she would've tried to leave after she helped us. What's keeping her here?

It seems even the others are surprised by her response. "Uh…I, uh…" Lav stuttered.

"_Seriously? Just… 'Okay'?" _Church let out with an incredulous tone.

"Is that a problem?" Tex asked, sounding amused.

"_Well…no, not really," _Church shook his head. _"I'm just surprised is all; I'd figure you'd leave as soon as you've helped us."_

Tex went silent for a bit. "…Let's just say that I have a bit of a…business here."

…Okay, why am I getting a sudden chill right now? I thought as I felt it crawl up my spine.

"Anyway, what do you want me to do?" Tex asked again.

"…Honestly, I have no clue," Lav admitted. "If you knew how to fix a tank, I'd have you do that."

Tex thought about it for a moment then she nodded. "Okay."

"Wait, you-you know how to fix Sheila?" Mikey let out, stunned. Then he beamed and he hugged Tex. "I love you!"

Tex stared at Mikey for a bit, then looked over at us. "…Who the hell is Sheila?"

"She's the Training AI in the tank," I answered.

"…Right," Tex let out, a bit uncomfortable. Then she looked back down at Mikey. "Can someone tell him to let me go?"

"_Caboose, let Tex go," _Church told the young rookie.

"Okay!" Mikey nodded before he complied.

"Now, get in your armor you three," Tex ordered us. "We're going out."

"Dibs!" I called out before I took off towards the armory room.

"Hey, no fair!" Lav exclaimed.

"You're too slow!" I called back at him playfully.

Eat your heart out Sonic.

_**~o~**_

We soon made our way to where Sheila is…and man, she didn't look good. We've neglected the poor thing for three days… it's good that she isn't smoking now, and it rarely rains here in Blood Gulch (at least, that's what Lav told me). Mikey just made a sniffle at the sight of Shelia. Even _I_ can't help but feel bad for the poor AI…

At least the Reds haven't messed with the tank for the past three days. But the others (well, Church, Lav and Tex) are a bit paranoid of any stragglers. I also looked around as well, just to be helpful.

As Tex went over to the upside down tank, Church turned to us. _"Okay, take it easy, guys,"_ he told us. _"When I was over at the Red Base, I saw that they've already got their jeep fixed. So whatever you do, don't let them see us before we get Sheila back online."_

I raised my eyebrow. When did he do that? Because when I and Church went there to spring Tex out, it was trashed by Sheila. Unless…is it possible for Lopez to fix that up pretty damn quick? I mean…I knew he was a robot but…hot damn that fucker is fast. I was about to ask- but I screamed when I heard a loud crash and looked to the source-

…And I just noticed that the others are also staring at me for my scream, Tex included.

I huffed and turned my head away. "You guys suck," he muttered.

"_Anyway…"_ Church began slowly. _"I'm the one that's the least visible, so I'm going to head up to higher ground and keep an eye on the Red Base. If I see anything, I'll let you know."_

"Okay, I'll come with you, Church," Mikey said.

"Nah, I think we should leave the asshole alone," I told the blue clad male. "If he gets lonely, he'll call for us." Lav let out a snicker and I gave him a look. "Not like that!"

"I know, but still," Lav chuckled.

I punched him in the arm, but he didn't budge; all that did is make him chuckle more.

"Yeah, but what if I'm really…really…_quiet_?" Mikey let out, the last part of his sentence in a whisper.

I looked over at the young recruit and patted him on the shoulder. "Mikey…if the Reds saw you, you'll be in big trouble," I told him. "Do you want to get in trouble with the Reds and Church?" He shook his head, understanding now. "Okay then."

…I feel like a horrible person when Mikey is THIS manageable right now… But I'm not the type of person to take advantage of a person like Mikey.

"_Yeah, just listen to her man," _Church said. _"And don't do anything stupid like somehow blowing up our base!"_ And with that, Church headed off towards the cliff.

"Just watch the Red Base and tells us if you see any movement!" Lav called out to him.

Then something occurred to me. "Hey, we left Sheila out here, right?"

"Yeah?"

"…And that was like three days ago, yeah?"

"Your point?"

I looked over at the tank – seeing Tex working on it – and at the general direction of Red Base. "Then how come the Reds didn't come by and pick her up? I mean, they could've fixed her up and used her against us or something!"

There was silence.

"…Yeah, that's actually pretty weird," Lav agreed with me.

I looked over at Mikey to see him sitting on a nearby rock…well, he's actually pulling out a sketch book and a box of crayons – I was bored two days ago and explored the base a bit more, and I came across those. I showed them to him and he used those to draw simple pictures – at least that will kept from being bored.

I nodded to myself; I know this isn't a fan fiction or something, but…I don't want the lovable idiot to get himself killed somehow.

Anyways, after I made sure that Mikey is thoroughly distracted, Lav and I went over to the tank. I ignored the two as I looked over at the tank – it doesn't seem like the Reds have put anything on it. But now that I got a better look at it…the shells from the drop ship _really_ did a number on the tank and Sheila.

I looked over at Red Base. That is pretty odd, now that I thought about it. We didn't hear any activity from the Reds for the past three days – what was going on over there?

I gave the team a look…and looked up at the cliff. Church seemed preoccupied by the base…surely he wouldn't notice, right?

Looking around a bit, I decided my route to go check out Red Base on my own.

_**~o~**_

'_Okay…what the fuck am I even doing?!'_ I cursed at myself, planting myself against the wall of Red Base.

This is one of those times I blame my curiosity. I mean…what in the living fuck am I even doing?!

Now I'm trying to hold my breath and not make a sound as I tried to eavesdrop on the Reds. So far, it was just Grif and Simmons playing I Spy, and I haven't heard a thing from Lopez, Sarge and Donut. …And damn it's fucking boring.

And I think I hung out with Church too much – or watched Red vs Blue too much; because I don't curse as much as I did now…

"Hey guys!" I jerked when I heard that familiar tone.

"Hey Donut…" the two men said in boredom.

Okay, so Donut is here…but how long has he been back?

"Boy, it felt like it's only been a day since I was gone!" The man cheerfully said.

"Donut…you've been gone for three days in the intensive care unit," Simmons said, flatly.

"I gotta say, you're a hardy bastard to survive a grenade to the face," Grif added.

"And there was the fact that Sarge in a coma for three days," Simmons added- wait, what? "I'm just glad that he woke up today."

"You're only glad because it gave you a better chance to kiss up to him," Grif let out.

…So Sarge was in a coma for three days, while Donut fully recovered today? I thought with a blink. That…actually made sense. In that case, it's probably the very same time that Lopez can actually speak…in Spanish.

I slowly took off my helmet and used the ramp to look over at them. I can see the maroon, orange and…uh, lightish-red armored men up on the roof…and there's Lopez. What's with him? Should I poke him, or…?

Suddenly, the robot looked over at me, and we stared at each other. Then:

"Hey, hay una chica rara encima en nuestra base," I blinked – what the fuck did he say? "Hey! ¿Me has oído?" The robot turned to the others and I quickly ducked back down.

"What did Lopez say?" I heard Simmons asked as I quietly snuck away.

"I have no fucking clue," Grif said before I quickly hightailed it out of there.

"Hijo de puta…" I heard Lopez sigh as I made my escape.

'_Okay, I gotta get outta here and to the others again before Tex makes her attack or the Reds see me,'_ I thought to myself in panic. _'Or if I'm lucky, Church won't be as pissed off at me, or-'_ "HOLY FUCK!" I screamed as I was suddenly sent flying into the air and crashed onto the ground.

There was pain, but I was completely panicking on _how_ that happened. What the fuck is that?! "What the fuck is that?!" I shouted out my thoughts, as I pushed myself up-

Ow! Okay, big fucking mistake! I might have hurt something when…something happened. All I remember is an explosion…

Wait, what?

I felt around my back for something, and after much effort to reach it, my fingers touched something and it came out pretty easily when I pulled it out. I brought it around to look at it…

…and my eyes went _huge_. It was a piece of shrapnel. Which means…

Did someone throw a fucking grenade at me?! Who?!

…And how the hell did I survive that – I could've gotten killed by the shockwave or something! That-that didn't make a lick of sense! I'm not some fucking Mary-Sue, am I?! I can still die…but that also doesn't mean that I wanted to find out if I CAN die!

The whole time I was panicking, my back felt itchy, and after a bit, it no longer feels itchy.

Cautiously, I stood up – I don't feel any pain whatsoever. I figured that a grenade exploded behind me, I should've had some of its shrapnel in my back. In fact, I shouldn't be able to walk right now! I looked behind me – there are pieces of metal on the ground. And all of them are covered in blood.

…MY blood.

Creeped out, I quickly fled.

Of course, it was then I heard a roar of a car and I chanced a look over my shoulder-

And here comes Sarge and Simmons in the Warthog…driving towards me!

"FUCK ME!" I screamed as I ran faster to escape them.

_**~o~**_

Tex had just finished repairing the tank when they all heard a scream. She, Tucker and Caboose – as Church went off earlier to not only warn the Reds, but to see where the hell Erica went – looked over at the source…and saw a rather comical scene that is Erica running away from the two Reds.

"Don't let 'em get away Simmons!" Sarge ordered, the one driving.

"Yes sir!" Simmons nodded loyally as he set the machine gun to the indigo clad woman (even though the latter didn't know it is a woman), but the woman (who somehow remembered something related to Team Fortress 2) began to weave a lot, to his frustration. "Dammit! Hold still!" He cursed at her, trying to aim.

"Fuck you!" She shouted back at him.

Grif, Donut and Lopez (or rather Church since he possessed the robot) watched on – the latter in exasperation. "They sure can run," Donut commented, impressed.

"I'll say," Grif admitted.

Church, he palmed his visor. _'That idiot!' _he mentally cursed – thankful that he can understand himself in his thoughts. _'I knew I shouldn't assume she's smart!'_

At the cliff, Caboose looked over at Tucker. "Umm…should we help her?"

Tucker watched as Erica ran to the rock and managed to jump over it, and the warthog crashed onto it (making the two men cry out in shock – and nearly propelling Sarge out of the vehicle). "…I think she's good for now," the aqua clad man slowly said.

Tex shook her head. "I can't stand watching this," she mumbled, getting into the tank, easily taking control and pointed the cannon over at the jeep.

Simmons just then noticed the cannon pointing at them as Sarge was trying to orient himself. "Uh…Sarge?" He let out, fearfully.

"Simmons, shut up!" Sarge scolded him as he got himself back into the seat. "We gotta kill off that nasty Blue that's getting' away!"

"But, sir-!"

"Simmons!" Sarge began, beginning to turn to his lap dog-

Then he noticed the cannon. "…Oh."

"Firing main cannon," Sheila said before the large vehicle fired at them.

The force of the blast sent the jeep and the two flying. If it hadn't been for the armor and the Kevlar, they could've been kill right then and there.

Somehow, the jeep landed near the base, and the two landed near Grif and Donut (and Church, who was hiding behind one of the columns). "Whoa! What the heck happened to you guys?!" Donut exclaimed, shocked.

As soon as he finished his question, Tex got the tank to fire at Red base at a safe distance, the explosion hitting the side of the base. "Oh shit! Run!" Grif screamed as he and the three men quickly hid at the ramp.

"H-Hey! What's going on?" Donut asked them, confused.

"That chick in black armor is back!" Simmons shouted in fear.

Donut raised his eye brow. "What chick?" Then suddenly, something snapped in Donut's mind. "The one who stuck the grenade to my head?"

"That's the one," Simmons nodded.

"The same chick whose fault it is that I'm stuck in this light red armor?"

Grif popped his head over the ramp with a bored look. "Donut, I understand the need to safeguard your masculinity. But, really dude, it's a _whole_ lot faster just to say pink."

But Donut was too angry to hear that part. "Ohohoho, I've been waiting for this!" The farm boy plucked a plasma grenade from his belt and headed over to the edge of the base. "Hey bitch!"

Donut's voice also reached Erica, who peeked out from behind one of the large rocks to watch. "Oh...I don't think I can be of much help here," she admitted to herself.

"Remember me? I saved something for you!" The pink clad male shouted before he hurled the grenade with all of his strength.

It felt as if the Blue Danube was playing as everyone watched as the grenade flew across half of Blood Gulch in a gentle arc. Though, Erica was amazed that no one else noticed the sniper bullets trying to hit the grenade...though, she was also impressed by what incredible arm Donut has. _'Famous football players, eat your heart out,'_ she thougth as it flew all the way...

And somehow landed on Tex. "Aw crap!" The Freelancer exclaimed in shock before she tried to get it off.

"Hell, yeah!" Donut cheered. "Three points, you dirty whore!"

When the last part of his sentence finished echoing...the tank exploded with Tex in it. The tank was sent flying as the cabin blew apart...and they could notice Tex's body being flung out of it before crashing in a heap somewhere around it.

"Dear God..." Erica softly said, horrified by the sight before she took off to the tank.

Church was also horrified by the sight - he didn't want to believe it- really, he didn't. "¡Dios mío, no!" He screamed. He jumped off of the base and ran as fast as he could. "¡Tejas, Tejas!"

Erica reached her first, and kneeled down. "Tex! Tex are you okay?"

"What does it look like?!" Tex scolded her, her body sparking. "Ugh...this isn't good...the AI is gone..."

_'Oh shit, O'Malley is loose,'_ Erica thoguht with a panicked look.

"Hey," Tex called out, getting her attention. "...Do me a favor and turn on your radio."

Erica blinked. "Huh?"

"Just do it," Tex told her.

"Uh...okay," the brunette hesitantly nodded before she did so.

At that moment, Church came up to them, and kneeled down by Tex. "¡Tejas!" He exclaimed, cradling her. "¡Tejas, háblame!"

Tex looked over at him. "Church...is that you?" I blinked when she said that weakly. She sounded- Uh, I better not over think this, Erica quickly thought, cutting herself off.

"Sí," Church nodded.

"It-It's gone, Church," Tex said, sounding happy. "The AI, it's gone. Thank you. Heeee, bleah..." The Freelancer then went limp in his arms. The only thing Church can do is held her close and cried.

Erica felt as if she was intruding on it and began to move away...but she heard a strange sound. "Hmm?" She let out with a blink, looking around. After a few moments, the sound is gone. "...That's weird..." She muttered, turning off her radio. _'Must've been my imagination...'_

But now she's got more things to worry about...like facing the wrath of a pissed off AI, and dealing with the possessed Caboose for three months until Doc arrives.

_'What else is going to happen...?'_ She muttered mentally to herself.

_**~o~**_

From her post, she was rather...stunned by what she just witnessed. "She healed remarkably well from the frag grenade I tossed..." She murmured to herself.

From the reports, it seems impossible for a human to gain regeneration powers...unless they have the right genetic code. Where in the world did they get this one...?

She has no military experience...and they had to fake the records to make sure that she is covered. But there's no telling how much stronger she could get.

She doubts that they could all take her, even if their number seven appears. Still...

"...She can be of use to us..." She murmured, the sun over Blood Gulch reaching the peak, revealing a part of her skin...and the tattoo of 05 on her left thigh of her armor.

_**~o~**_

I sighed miserably. "I can't believe I got scolded by a Spanish robot..." I mumbled as I walked down the halls of Blue Base.

Its only been a few hours, and we buried Tex's body next to Church's. Before that, I got a scolding from Church - even though I don't have the faintest idea on what the hell he's saying, but he soon wrote it down, telling me that it was my fault that Tex is dead, and that I shouldn't wonder off like that.

I rebuttled that I went to check out why the Reds have been inactive for three days, and discovered that Sarge had been in a coma for three days, and had awaken today. But now that the jeep is destroyed (and who knows how long it'll take Sarge to repair it without Lopez), it might take them a long time for them to return to action.

But then it became a yelling match between the two of us - and I have no idea why I did that. Normally, I would back down when there was yelling, but I did it. It lasted for a while before I smacked him, glared at him and walked off.

I didn't bother to remove my armor as I entered my room and leaned against the wall, sliding down with a sigh. "...Well, it can't get any worse than this," I let out. "Other than O'Malley in Mikey's head."

_"What's this about O'Malley in Caboose's head?"_

I jumped at the voice and looked around. "...Who's there?" I asked. Then something formed on top of my knee. Its a small, light grey, transparent soldier.

_"What's up?" _It asked...in a familiar voice.

I did a take. "Tex?" I exclaimed in shock. "I...I thought you-"

_"Died?"_ Tex finish for me. _"Yeah, that's what they all thought. But not you and Omega though. Its strange that you knew what I am. So I looked through your memories."_ I froze. Shit-

She then used my armor to make me strangle myself. _"What I found...I didn't like. So you thought we were just made up huh? Used for entertainment? Well, you've got a sick idea for one!"_

"T-Tex! I can explain-!"

_"Explain what?" _Tex then made my hand squeeze tighter._ "That me, and the other AIs will die from the emp later on? That I will be remade by Epsilon and then broke down some more by the Director? Like the Alpha?" _Vision...going black... Can't...breathe...!

Then suddenly, my grip was released and I fell onto the floor, greedily sucking in air. _"Well...those two should've just let me stay dead," _Tex let out, darkly.

"Huh?" I let out, blinking. "Wait...so...you're not mad?"

_"Of course I'm pissed,"_ Tex said. _"But so far, you've treated the others as if they were people."_

"Well, this is my reality now," I said as I sat up. "Besides, before we got here, I asked Mikey to hit me as hard as he could - and it hurts like a bitch."

_"Oh, well that's a hell of a wake up call,"_ the AI said.

"Anyway, from what you got from my thoughts, Omega's infected Mikey," I said. "So what are you going to do?"

_"Well...as much as I wanted get rid of my 'brother' for good, I can't exactly do that since I have no idea what Caboose is capable of, and I don't Omega to catch on that I'm nearby," _said Tex. _"Since the events of Red vs Blue won't continue for three more months..."_

...I didn't like the way she trailed off. "What?" I finally asked, nervous.

_"Well, we're going to have to train you to get ready for those events," _she said. _"You can't exactly be a bystander the whole time, you know."_

"I...I know that but..." I glanced down. "What exactly can I do? I'm not like you OR Carolina. Or anyone else for that matter."

_"Well, we'll figure out something," _Tex shrugged. _"Still...didn't imagine you to be from 2014, nearly 538 years ago."_

"You'll be surprised," I shrugged- then paused. "Uh...you didn't go into my..._darker _parts of my brain, did you?"

Tex didn't answer at first. Then: _"You have a dirty mind, you know that? Not __**really**__ dirty, but dirty nonetheless."_

"Oh shut up," I frowned at her.

_"Anyway, give Dad some time to cool down,"_ she told me. _"We'll use that time to get you training."_

"...I have a feeling I'm going to regret this..." I sighed.

_"Shut up and take it, you bimbo,"_ I could practically hear the grin in her voice.

"Oh hush."

* * *

Lopez -_"Hey, hay una chica rara encima en nuestra base.__Hey! ¿Me has oído? " – Is Spanish for "Hey, there's a weird chick over at our base. Hey! Did you hear me?" _

Church - _"¡Tejas! ¡Tejas, háblame!" - Is Spanish for, "Texas! Texas, speak to me!" _**I used Google English to Spanish translator. **

**Anyways, it seems that not only Tex 'died' she is now in Erica's head. She'll be going through hell for the past three months...but it might be worth it, would it?**

**But her problems are just beginning...**

**Review please!**


	8. To Move On

And it seems Erica will have to find strength to move on. Or perhaps not. Anyway, enjoy.

**Disclaimer: You know what I own and don't own - Roosterteeth will kick my ass if I steal their stuff.**

* * *

I let out a depressed sigh, lying on my bed. My armor is off, but I took my helmet with me to set it on the bed next to me.

_"Hey, you can't be depressed all day, Erica,"_ the AI in my helmet told me. _"It's a part of life, get over it."_

"Easy for you to say..." I murmured, curling up into a ball. "You're an AI for crying out loud."

_"Hey, I didn't choose to be like this, all right!" _ I ignored the AI yelling at me - it's not that I've gotten used to her in my time here...she's able to kick my ass using my own body. I just didn't want to deal with her right now.

After a few moments, she sighed. _"Look, I just wanted to check and see if you really do exist here,"_ she said. _"I'm as surprised as you are, you know."_

I let out a listless grunt, before I buried my face into my pillow.

Honestly, I wish I could just...forgot our findings today...

_Hours earlier..._

I panted heavily as I ran a few laps around the canyon. With the Reds and Blue asleep, this is the only time I can do so...at 4 in the freaking morning.

_"C'mon! Faster!" _Tex shouted at me in her transparent form. _"You won't get anywhere if you don't have enough stamina!"_

"Huff... Sh-Shut up...Tex!" I panted out, nearly tripping as I spoke before I resumed concentrating on my task.

Honestly, I can't believe how time flies so fast - it's only been a month and a half since I started this training. And I gotta say, I'm feeling proud of myself for gaining more energy to not be out of breath like I was previously. But this is in the _morning_ \- after breakfast and a break, I had to head out to the caves under Blood Gulch to do my other training - target practice. Tex somehow found some guns that fire paint balls instead of real bullets to simulate some scenarios I might get into.

And I'm terrified of going into real combat-

_"Watch out for that rock!"_

"Shit!" I exclaimed, nearly tripping over a rock before I quickly regained myself.

Tex let out a sigh. _"It's sad that it's the same rock you nearly tripped over, you know."_

"I'm...aware of that...thanks," I panted out, passing by Red base. I resumed my morning run afterwards.

Two hours later, I returned to Blue base at a good time, heading towards the kitchen to find me something to eat before I do my routine.

I found some eggs, bread and some juice before I made myself some breakfast. Though I'd like to have something else other than scrambled eggs. I'd kill for some pancakes or waffles right now...

I sat down to eat my breakfast, telling myself to clean up after myself after I'm done, when Lav came in - one of the few times that he woke up early, and he was pretty used to see me up this early (by now). "Hey," he grunted, sleepily.

"Hey," I grunted back, eating my food. I ate slowly (instead of eating it fast like I usually do) like I was told to do, so that I won't get sick and sipped at my orange juice.

"So, what exactly have you been doing for the past month?" Lav asked me, sitting down at the other end of the table. "Lately you disappear all day and come back at night to shower and sleep."

I swallowed before I answered, "A lot of things. Mostly to get away from Church. Who's still pissed at me."

Lav winced. "Ouch. I hear you." We sat in silence for a bit, before he asked me, "Say, have you noticed something...odd about Caboose lately?"

"...You mean when he's pretty aggressive?" I asked him, biting through my taco'd eggs in buttered toast.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I kept pointing it out to Church, but he kept ignoring me. I knew he was an asshole, but..."

"Yeah," I nodded, understanding him. "It could be that he's...I dunno, possessed or something."

"What, by another asshole spirit worse than Church?" The dark skinned man said, exasperated.

"I hope not," I said, before stuffing the last bit of the egg filled bread into my mouth. "Speaking of which, did you guys fix up his speech?"

"Well...sort of, but not all the way," Lav admitted, shrugging.

"Ah," I let out, drowning my juice.

After I was done with my breakfast, I took my dishes to the sink and put away the stuff I used for breakfast. "Well, back to torture..." I mumbled to myself.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing," I told the dark skinned male. "Nothing at all."

I then left to put on my armor before doing the next part of my day. Gun training.

Hours flew by in that cavern we used for training. My reaction time is still slow (but not as slow as I was previously, but not quite there), and if it hadn't been for the fact it was practice, I would've been dead ten times over...or more.

Right now, I'm trying to shot at the rock from a distance...and missing. _"C'mon, we've been doing this for six weeks now,"_ Tex scolded me. _"Just hit the target."_

I gave her a deadpanned look as I lowered the sniper rifle (yes, I snagged it from Church, and I gotta say, I suck with it). "Hey, give me a break! I still need to aim with this thing before shooting!"

_"But you also need to aim at a moment's notice,"_ Tex told her. _"At times, you can't even aim properly and that can get you killed. Its best to fire at a moment's notice, and make sure that every shot counts."_

_'I've been trying to do that for a while, jerk...'_ I mentally mumbled before I held the gun up - the thing is heavy.

Plus...that fucking rock is _mocking _me. The thought of hitting it gave me strength to hold it up for a few more moments.

And you have no idea how satisfying it is to see the paint splatter all over the melon shaped rock. "Ha! Eat it!" I cheered, pumping my fist.

Tex looked over at the rock. _"Not bad,"_ she admitted. _"But you still have a long way to go with the sniper rifle."_ Dammit. _"Still, your training with hand held guns are better than the other guns. But you still have to practice on reloading during battle."_

That is true. For some odd reason, I'm better with magnums or similar guns - I wonder if it's the same for the Covenant weapons? I'd like to have a Plasma Rifle...

_"Anyway, that's it for today," _Tex said. _"We'll go and pick up again tomorrow."_ I raised my eyebrow.

"...That's unusually nice of you, Tex," I remarked.

She then looked over at me. _"There's something that I need to check," _she said. _"But we could only access it here."_

I blinked. "Why? What's up?"

_"You'll know when we get there,"_ she told me. I sighed - of course Freelancers are cryptic...

And I once again blinked. "Wait, what computer are we talking about?"

A few minutes later, I found myself at the computer room Simmons will discover in the future. Tex told me to pull out that small machine attached to it before she possessed me (and it's a really odd feeling still) to type in a few things.

_'...What exactly are we looking for?'_ I asked her mentally, confused.

"We'll be trying to see if there _are_ any records of you in the UNSC database," Tex told me (and it's still weird that she used my body and speaking to me with my voice). "You may never know what you could find, really."

True...but I doubt that. Still, I guess it doesn't hurt to look.

After a few moments, we came upon the citizenship of all of the people registered in their files. So far, there isn't any record on me at all.

_'Well, there's nothing so far...' _I said.

"True..." Tex trailed off. Then I felt my head perk. "Unless..." She typed in a few things, and brought up a search bar. She then typed in my name.

And suddenly, there was a data file of me on there. _'What the...? What's this...?'_ I mentally exclaimed.

We both read the file.

_Name: Erica T. Helms_

_Date of Birth: January 5, 1991_

_Date of Death: April 30, 2014 - but now unconfirmed__._

_At around the last week of April, the twenty-three year old woman suddenly collapsed in her home. But though she was rushed to the hospital, she was already dead. They were undetermined on what the cause was, since it didn't seem like a suicide or a sudden disease. There was an investigation, but the case had gotten cold after a few weeks._

_At 2539 AD, her remains was reexamined - and it was determined that this body was merely a flash clone of her, as it is similar to the flash clones of the children that were abducted for the Spartan program proposed by Dr. Catherine Halsey. But with the new evidence, no one is sure what exactly happened to her._

_There have been similar cases like her over the years, but it is not confirmed if it truly is connected. Until further evidence, the investigation is on hold._

There was silence for a while. "...Well, didn't expect that," Tex admitted.

I was silent.

I didn't hear Tex speaking to me - it was as if my mind was static.

This...this can't...this can't be right... It...

I...I _disappeared_?! It-no, it-! I-!

It was a good thing Tex still had control of my body, otherwise I'm not sure what I'd do. "...Let's get out of here," she said, before replacing the part into the computer and walked out with my body, all the way back to Blue base.

_Now..._

So...I no longer had a place for my home...

It could have been a lie made up for Project Freelancer...but... I don't know what to believe anymore.

I let out a sigh, before Tex appeared before me in her AI form. _"Well, here's something you should see,"_ she said before she brought up a file before me.

I stared at it for a while. "...What is it?" I asked, blankly.

_"It's a file that has your information on Project Freelancer,"_ she explained. _"But it's clear that these are fake."_

I sat up to look over at it. It says that I was an orphaned citizen that didn't give a damn about the war she was forced to draft into. It seems that - to them - I failed on purpose, only to be shipped off to here, at Blood Gulch of all places. Most likely because they think that I have no knowledge of what was going on at the project.

But, so far, after Tex was sent here, there weren't any problems. They probably deemed me not a threat right now.

I sighed, falling back. "What's the point?" I asked. "After what we found today, I don't think I'll be able to go back to where I originally came from."

_"Well, most of the Sim Troopers are the same as you,"_ Tex told me. _"Drafted into the army, away from friends and family, then sent to simulation bases if they aren't deemed useful."_

"Yeah, while the others still die in a war," I grumbled, lying on my back now. "And those in Project Freelancer are fucked over because of what happened to Maine and you breaking in with York and North's help."

_"Still, I can't believe that Carolina is alive..."_ Tex let out, as if relieved. _"If I ever find York..."_

"But who knows where Carolina is right now," I pointed out. "She didn't appear until the end of season nine, have the Reds and Blues help her get Epsilon."

_"True...but still..."_

"I wanted him to live as much as you do," I admitted to her. "But...I'm afraid if either of us told him, he'll still die. Either by Wyoming, or the Meta..." I sighed. "I dunno."

There was silence between the two of us for a while.

_"...Well, you should try to make the best out of this,"_ Tex advised me. I looked over at her. _"I dunno what your life was like beforehand - I mean I caught a few glimpses of it, but not a lot - but..."_ She trailed off a bit, rubbing the back of her head. _"Well, what I'm trying to say is, you're here now. Whatever you do here is up to you now."_

I stared up at the ceiling for a while. "...Hey, can you go off line?" I asked her. "I want to think it over a bit."

_"All right,"_ Tex surprisingly complied before she disappeared.

I laid there for who knows how long, staring up at the ceiling. After what felt like forever, I sighed and put on my bra, before exiting, leaving my helmet behind.

Mindlessly, I wondered the halls of the base before I ended up in the living room. With a sigh, I sat down on the couch and lean back.

A few minutes went by as I just sat there...then I heard footsteps. "Oh, look who decided to show up," I heard a voice say, a bitter tone in it.

I didn't have to turn my head to see who it was. "Hey Church..." I said, tiredly. I just want to be alone right now.

But, unfortunately, Church seems to pick up on that. "Uh...you okay? What kind of activity did you do?"

I sighed. "Look man, I just want to be alone right now," I told him. "I found out something today, and...Well, you wouldn't understand." I drew my knees to my chest, and stared at the wall.

There was silence. "...Well, normally, I would do that, since I don't literally give a fuck on what you guys do," Church admitted. "But this is unusual, even for you."

And when in the hell did he began to care? "Why would you care?" I rhetorically asked him. "I mean, I'm the chick that got your ex-girlfriend killed."

"Hey, I'm pissed off at that still," the AI said. "But you avoiding us and you acting like this...if you're going on a mass murder spree, go for Tucker. Or hell, maybe the Reds or Caboose even."

I gave a horrified look over at him...before it became indigent and I threw a pillow at him. "Dude! Why in living fuck would I do that?!" I shouted.

Church was unfazed by it - the pillow I mean. "Okay, so you won't go crazy or something," he let out. "That's good."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Listen, dealing with Tucker complaining about Caboose's behavior for a few weeks can grate on your nerves," Church told me. "And with one of the rookies is acting like a total jackass, and another acting all depressed, I, you know, gotta look out for myself, you know."

I stared at him for a bit before I sat back down. "Yeah, sure," I said listlessly. I sat there for a few moments, in thought…then I looked over at the light blue soldier. "Hey, can I ask you something real quick?"

"If it's about how I'm doing, then no," Church growled out. "Not only do I have to put up with those two on a daily bases, the AI of this robot has been fighting me for weeks – and to top it all off, my girlfriend is dead, and do you know whose fault it is?!"

I actually cringed at his words – even though I knew that Tex will die even if I wasn't here…maybe a part of that is true. "…Y-Yeah, about that," I mumbled, scratching my head. "That day when Tex died…how…how exactly did you feel?"

A beat. "…Why the hell do you want to know that?"

I sighed. "I…I discovered something today that made me depressed…" I admitted. "Something that I had no idea about until today."

"What, your family member died or something?"

"…Yeah." My _whole_ family…dead. "People dear to me."

There was a bit of silence between us as I waited for Church to answer. "…Oh…" He mumbled out. "Uh…"

I sighed. "Take your time."

And he did. For a while, I was contemplating on telling him to drop it, that it was nothing…but I wanted to hear how Church felt about that day.

"…Well," he finally spoke up, and I looked over at him. "It's…not a pleasant feeling, seeing her flying out of the exploding tank. It intensified when I held her in my arms in her final moments. I mean, I saw my friends at Sidewinder die," a part of me doubts that, "but seeing _her_ die…I just…" He sighed as he bowed his head. "I just wished I could've saved her. Not only from the AI, but death in general – if I had the power, I would do that, you know?"

My eyes widened at that. The Director's words at the finale of Reconstruction came back to me. I've heard it a few times, but…didn't he also wished that he could've saved his wife, Allison? All that time, he just couldn't exactly forget her – I mean, how could he? They have an odd relationship, sure, but…he always loved her. The Director, and now Church, felt a pain of loss as I have, and maybe others… Only…

The Director's pain of loss is much worse. He spent most of his life chasing ghosts, wanting to see Allison one more time…

And he failed to realize that, he had a part of Allison the entire time: his daughter. It took him until the end of season 10 to realize that.

In some ways, it IS the Director's fault this happened…but we can't exactly control what could happen around us. There was no way he could've known that things could come to this…and neither did I.

The Reds and Blues have no idea what it felt like to lose someone dear to them – and right now…I…took my life back at home for granted as well.

_They – _the Blood Gulch Crew – had a life before they were dragged into this – _I _had a life too…and it was snatched away by forces I can't control.

We're all the same…

"Wha-? Hey, what- are you _crying_?!" Church's exclamation brought me back to reality. I felt something run down my cheeks and I tapped my cheek. Oh, so I am.

"S-Sorry," I stuttered, before I took a deep breath. "I…I had a lot to think about. I'm-I'm sorry about Tex. Really, I am." Both Tex _and_ Allison.

Church stared at me. "…Oh," he let out – was he that surprised by what I said? Hard to tell. "Um…yeah. I, uh, glad to know that you've learned your lesson soldier."

I just nodded and stood up. "I'll see you later," I said, as I headed back to my room.

"Where are you going?" He asked me.

"Taking a shower," I answered. "I stink to high hell, and I wanna feel clean."

"Oh gross," he grumbled aloud.

"You slept with Tex, didn't you?" I called back at him.

"It's not the same!" He exclaimed, in indignation.

I just giggled to myself.

_**~o~**_

"Hey, Tex?"

"_Yeah?"_ The AI appeared, after I laid down onto the bed again.

"You mind if I asked you something?"

At the corner of my eye, Tex looked me over for a bit. _"That depends, actually."_

"…What exactly are you?"

"_Huh?"_

I shifted my eyes for a bit in thought, trying to figure out how to phrase it better. "What…are you exactly? An AI based on Allison, or the fragment of Church's failures?"

"_I thought you knew,"_ she sounds amused when she said that.

"I thought I did," I admitted. "But…now I'm not so sure anymore."

Tex shook her head a bit. _"Well, what _do_ you believe?"_

I stared back up at the ceiling. After a while of thinking, I answered: "Well, same as us, I guess." I raised my hands a bit. "I mean…it's true that war has a way to bring us together, to defend our world, our nation, our people…but for the people to lay down their lives for the war, fearing that they'll never come back home… I'm not saying that I feel sorry for the Director…but maybe he has this odd fantasy of seeing his loved one again through you…but you aren't her. You're Tex. Through all of his memories, the one that is the most vivid is of the last time he saw her. That moment in his life, he regretted the most…for not stopping her from going. He knew that Allison is military material and he isn't, and he couldn't try to stop her because…because…" I trailed off, trying to find words for it. "He…" I sighed, my hands dropping to the bed. "I guess he blames himself for letting her go off to war. He probably knew it's possible that she could die, but he clung to the hope that she'll survive. When she didn't come home, it left him emotionally scarred. He blames himself for his failure to make her stay…and that probably created you. You're a byproduct from the Alpha's creation – a good thing and a bad thing. His memory of Allison is stronger than his other feelings, and that created a different being from him…but that also gave him an idea to split him up. It's not your fault this happened…nor is the fault of war that took Allison away." I sighed again. "I guess…fate has a way to screw anyone over, no matter where you're from. You, Church, the Reds and Blues of Project Freelancer – the Blood Gulch Crew as well – and me…we're here because of something that's beyond our control. Some were drafted into a war that they weren't made for, some wanted in, and some on accident…to the UNSC and Project Freelancer, we're people with no names… We had family, friends…and we were snatched away from them by something we couldn't control. The simulation troopers of Blood Gulch are like me, in a sense, taken here from our family, loved ones… They thought the whole Red vs Blue war is real, but they didn't even realize the horrors of a real war – the horrors of what's really out there in the universe. The cruelty of humankind, countless ages of war among ourselves for as long as history remembers… It started off as a means to control rebels, which then turns into a fight for their lives when the Covenant came along, followed by the Flood."

The whole time, Tex silently stared at me as I sat up, swallowing a bit of saliva to try to moisten my throat from having to talk so much.

"…You and I are the only ones aware of what's going to happen," I continued, as images of the events that will take place flashed in my head. "If it means to endure hell to protect these men – the men like me – then…I'll gladly do whatever it takes to get stronger to protect them. Even from themselves at times."

"…_Even when you have to take the life of someone else?"_ Tex finally asked me, after a while of silence.

"…If it comes down to it, and the situation calls for it…I may or may not," I admitted. I don't have the power to take a life, nor do I have a say in who lives and who dies…

"I'm not a soldier, Tex," I added. "Just…a civilian drafted as one."

I sat there in silence for a bit, as I felt Tex's holographic eyes on me.

"…_Well, you're starting to realize that you can't be a civilian for long,"_ Tex finally said after a while of silence. _"But you also realize that you aren't a soldier. Soldiers follow orders without question, even if it goes against their morals and what they believe in. Even so, there are times to take action to save those close to you…and to kill those that are a threat to you. When you make those choices, you won't have time to think – you just act."_

…I had a feeling that the choice will come at me for when I'm not exactly ready for it.

I looked over at Tex for a bit. "…You know…you're not that bad," I admitted. "You're a good person once I got to know you."

"_Even when I'm an AI?"_ Tex let out, amused.

"Does it matter if you're one?" I asked her. "You may be one, and a tough soldier, but you're as imperfect as us. And that's good – it takes a lot to admit you make mistakes and stuff."

Tex shook her head at me. _"You're the strangest person I've ever met. More so than York."_

A chuckle escaped from my lips. "Well…we're all unique, I guess," I said with mirth. I stared up at the ceiling, feeling…lighter now. "…So…we resume training tomorrow morning?"

"_Yup. But don't expect me to go easy on you."_

"Eww."

"_Enjoy your break while it lasts,"_ Tex told me as I sat up from the bed.

"Yeah, yeah," I waved it away half-heartedly as I left my room.

I'm among people like me, now – a bunch of nobodies. So…

I have to protect them, until I eventually die…or until I can find a place to move on in my new life.

I won't lose my way.

* * *

**Okay, I'd wanted to add more, but I figured that it'll be good enough for now. This is probably the quickest chapter I've ever put up. I've listened to a few Puella Magi Madoka Magica music when I was typing this. Anyways…**

**It seems that Erica found out that she isn't…where she thought she is. But though she lost her way, a couple of AIs helped her out on this. But would that even help when the events continue on? Who know?**

**Leave a review, everyone.**


	9. One of Those Days

Back to the action…sort of. We meet a new (old) friend, yay!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing – if I did, I'd disclose on where the hell Doc had been the entire time he was gone from season twelve!**

_This chapter is all Doc._**  
**

* * *

The sun was high over the canyon by the time he got there. He let out a tired sigh before he looked around. "Phew. Made it," Frank DuFresne let out as he looked over the canyon with the Red base on the right side and the Blue base on the left.

Yup, this is Blood Gulch all right.

With a nod, he put a hand over his radio. "Come in Blue Command, come in," he called in. There wasn't a response at first, so he tried again. "This is Medical Officer DuFresne. I have reached Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha, do you read?"

He heard a burst of static but he couldn't hear what the person is saying. What he got was, 'read me?' and 'Check one, check two.'

"Say again, Blue Command," he spoke up. "I do not read."

All he got is more static, but he did hear, **"-thing on? Hello, hello?"**

He tapped his helmet to try to clear it up. "Blue Command, please boost your transmission to match communication protocol, Echo, Bravo-"

**"Yo, I hear you,"** the poor medic nearly went deaf when the message came through, **"calm down, dude, what's goin' on?" **There was this odd...jazzy music playing in the background. **"Hello, yo, can you hear me, hello?"**

"Uh...roger that, Command," DuFresne slowly replied.

**"Sorry 'bout that,"** the voice apologized. **"I was in the elevator; this thing doesn't work so well in there. Anyway, what's going on dude?"**

"Oh, roger tha-" he began to nod until he caught that last part. "Uh... is this Blue Command?"

"**Oh, yeah, man, sure, totally! What's going on?"**

But Frank didn't felt…convinced. "You're sure? The Blue Command base?"

"**Hey dude, take it easy,"** the radio operator had a tone in his voice that he didn't like. **"You called me, I didn't call you."**

"Naw, I know, it's just…" He trailed off, uncertain now.

"**It's just **_**what**_**, dude?" **DuFresne cringed a bit at that.

"Uh- Never mind," he shook his head. "I'm just letting you know that I've reached Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha." That's the reason he called, anyway. "I'm gonna make contact with the Blue Squad members."

"**Blood Gulch, huh? Alright, let me look here, let me see what it says…"** DuFresne waited a bit as the radio operator – Vic – checked on his orders. **"Lemme see, here. Blood Gulch, bleu, bleaou bee ehl, bluoea- ah, here we go, Blood Gulch." **The medic blinked a bit. Was…was that necessary? He asked himself before he returned his attention to Vic. **"Okay, says here you wanna make contact with Private Tucker, ask him about their wounded, dude."**

"Roger that," he nodded, "Any other orders?"

"'**Anything else'? Yeah, okay," **Vic replied. **"Yeah, it says here whatever you do don't- Oh."** The medic blinked when Vic suddenly stopped for a bit, before resuming, **"Okay never mind dude. I'm not supposed to read you that part,"** what part? DuFresne asked himself **"okay, just uh… you'll be okay, just uh be very careful. That's all."**

…That didn't sound very good. "Great…" He muttered.

"**Though, there is one thing you should know,"** Vic suddenly told him. **"There's an odd chick over there – she didn't seem dangerous, but be careful nonetheless, okay?"** How is that supposed to make him feel better? **"But, anyway, that's all. It's our goal here at Blue Command to provide excellent service, and I hope I have don't that today. Uh, if you have any further questions about this radio transmission, you can just um, you know call back: say 'Dud, I've got some questions, what's goin' on'. Over and out." **And the radio went silent.

DuFresne looked over at Blood Gulch, at the direction of Blue Base. "Okay… Private Tucker…" He mumbled to himself before he made his way down.

Once he's safely on the ground (it admittedly took him a while; he's not the best climber after all) he made his way over to the base. He felt bad that it took him three months to get here – the transmission…well, didn't reach him until a couple of days ago. This part of the planet doesn't have good reception. At least…that's what his superiors said. But, he made it; that's all that matters. He's a bit worried about what Vic mean – about that 'part' and an odd woman over here – but he's a pacifist. They won't harm a pacifist, would they?

Finally, after a couple more minutes, he spotted the base…and he saw three figures talking to each other. One is light blue, one is aqua (or is it teal? Hard to tell) and the last one is regular blue.

As he got closer, he caught a part of their conversation, with one of them saying: "-a little out of context."

The aqua one looked over at the blue one. "What? What context?" He said in disbelief. What were they talking about?

The light blue one sighed (sounding annoyed) as DuFresne finally got to them. "Listen, guys, this competition thing has got to stop, okay? I thought we'd established by now-"

"Excuse me?" He didn't mean to speak up, but he wanted to get their attention a bit.

The three of them looked over at him for a bit. "Hey pal, one second okay? I'm in the middle of something here," the man in light blue armor told him. DuFresne blinked. Huh?

They resumed their conversation. "Ah look, I thought we'd established by now, that I don't like either of you, or Erica, okay?" Who's 'Erica'? "So competing for my attention is not gonna do you any good."

Sensing that their conversation ended, DuFresne coughed to get their attention. "Uh, Excuse me."

The one in light blue armor turned to him. "Okay. Yes. Hello. Who're you?"

He was about to answer, but he couldn't help but hear a dark, deep voice, saying, "Don't ever be alone." DuFresne glanced over at the one in blue staring at the aqua clad man (with the aqua one backing away and murmuring something). Did…did he hear that right? It sounds…_scary_.

"Hey! You listening?" The one in front of him called him out, getting his attention back.

"Oh! Yes! I'm DuFresne. Frank DuFresne," he introduced himself…though his eyes can't help but shift over to the one in blue, in fear. "Uh…are you Private Tucker?" He asked slowly.

"Actually, no, I'm not Private Tucker. My name is Church," the light blue man replied before jabbing his thumb to the aqua one. "_This _is Private Tucker."

"What's up?" Tucker did a two fingered salute at him.

Then Church nodded over to the other soldier behind him. "And our friend over there in regulation blue, that's Caboose… Or O'Malley or whatever the hell he's callin' himself."

"Hey!" Caboose sounded hurt. "Why did you introduce me second?"

"Because he hates you," Tucker said with a teasing tone.

"But what about Erica?" There's that name again – who is she? "Shouldn't she be here since we have, uh…"

"Medic," DuFresne piped up helpfully.

"Okay, the Medic got here and-" Then it seems it was registered in their heads as they looked at him. "Medic? But…that was like three months ago."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "What'd you do, _crawl_ all the way here?"

DuFresne blushed a bit. "H-hey! I came as quickly as I could! Honest!" He insisted. "Anyway, where's the patient?"

The three of them gave each other a look. "Well…" Church pointed over the medic's shoulder. "She's about fifty yards behind you…and six feet straight down."

DuFresne blinked before he looked behind him…seeing two graves with simple wooden crosses to act as tome stones. "…Oh," he let out, having a feeling that his patient is…uh, dead. "I'm-I'm sorry about your loss."

"What? Oh yeah," Church replied solemnly. "Yeah, thanks man, it was tough but well, what're you gonna do?"

"We didn't like her very much," Caboose spoke up, adding in a loud whisper, "She was mean to other people."

He blinked at that. "O…kay," he slowly let out before he looked back at the graves. "Who's in the other grave though?" Did they lose another person during the three months? Who is it? The person 'Erica', or-?

"Uh," DuFresne looked back at them, seeing Church rubbing the back of his head. "That's…that's me. I'm in that grave."

…What? DuFresne looked back at the grave and back at him. "…Uh huh… Of course," he let out, doubt in his voice.

"See, uh, he…got killed by explosives out of the sky-"

"It was an airstrike by the Reds," Tucker reminded Caboose, who was explaining.

"Right, yeah," Caboose nodded, sheepish. "And then he became, uh, this really mean ghost and uh, took over a Mexican robot's body. Oh, and then we had to uh, oyathatsright, spray-paint him, ah, to make him blue, and now he is alive again, and he is a bionic man…who is blue."

"Right," Tucker nodded. "And it took us six weeks to get his Spanish setting turned off."

Church looked over at Tucker. "No esta completamente apagado, pendejo," he retorted with a bored tone.

The aqua armored man sighed. "I'll go get the Spanish dictionary."

DuFresne blinked incredulously at the three of them. For…well, a lot of things, really. "Wait, so no one here is hurt?"

"Nah, we're fine," Church replied. "In fact, I feel better than ever. See, now whenever these two idiots really start to bug me, I can always just turn my ears off. Couldn't do that before."

"Wha- Hey! You said they were shorting out!" Caboose exclaimed.

DuFresne heard a loud click then turned to his teammate. "I'm sorry, what was that, Caboose? I can't _hear_ you!"

…These people are strange, he thought. But who is he to judge? With a shrug, DuFresne pulled out his scanner (which is actually one of the Plasma Pistols reconfigured as a scanner – the more advanced ones are used by doctors) off of his belt. "Well, then let me just check you two out, and I'll be-" he then noticed something coming their way. The person is in indigo colored armor…and they seemed to be staggering a little. "Is he okay?"

"Huh?" Church let out before the indigo person got up to them. "Well, look who decided to show up?"

"Fuck off," they – and holy cow, it's a female! – retorted. "Don't talk to me until I have some goddamn rest." Then she proceeded to sit on a rock near them, letting out a great sigh.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tucker asked her, sounding concerned.

She sighed again. "I'm fine, Lav," who's 'Lav'? "Just…tired."

"Tired from what?" Church asked her next.

"Oh…working out," she said vaguely. "It's one of the things I can do here, other than being bored out of my skull…and to give a pissed off ghost some space after what happened three months ago."

Church then looked over at what she placed down. "Is that my sniper rifle?"

"Hey, do you want me to be useful here?" She retorted, "Besides, I think I'd stick with hand held guns."

"Well, gimme back my sniper rifle!" Church demanded.

"I don't feel like getting up, and if I throw it to you, it won't get far and it'll just land on the ground, but didn't reach you OR I'll end up hitting you on accident," she shrugged. "Frankly, I'm not in the mood to hear you bitch at me."

"Ooh!" Tucker let out as…um, it's hard to tell how Church is feeling right now – with a smile in the aqua armored man's voice.

Church let out an annoyed grunt. "Okay, fine." He walked over and plucked the sniper rifle.

DuFresne looked between them a bit. "Uh….anyone want to introduce me?" He asked slowly, completely confused.

"Oh, yeah, that's Erica," Tucker answered. "She came in with Caboose months ago."

"Oh, well, my name is Frank DuFresne," he introduced himself. "I'm the medic."

She merely stared at him as her propped her chin into her hands. "…Is the connection to Command really that bad?" She asked.

"Well, that's what they told me," Frank admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, I need to check the three of you out, and I'll be on my way."

"Whoa…check us out?" Tucker let out nervously. "Is this gonna be one of those things where I have to turn my head and cough?"

"No, I'm just gonna check your vitals," he answered before he turned the device on.

"I bet I have better vitals than you," Caboose betted…before he looked over at Church. "What's a vital?"

But Church ignored him. "Whoa, wait a minute. On your way? I don't think so, bud. Aren't you here to join our squad?"

"Hey! I'm trying to be helpful to you guys!" Erica complained…what exactly is her last name?

"Well, not really," DuFresne replied (to Church's question). "I'm just here to help out with Tex, and then assist in the canyon as needed."

"First of all, great job on the Tex thing. Mission accomplished," even he can tell that Church was sarcastic. "Secondly, the way that we need you to assist is to help us kill all the Reds."

"Well, even if my orders didn't prohibit me from doing that, I still wouldn't," the medic explained. "I joined the army as a conscientious objector."

"A conshe-who?" Tucker asked baffled.

"That means he's a pacifist," Erica answered. "Someone who doesn't want to fight."

"Oh," Caboose and Tucker let out.

"…I guess I nearly thought it was something else," he heard Tucker mutter to himself.

DuFresne lifted his device and swept a ray of light over Tucker first, then Caboose and finally Erica. After a while, he checked over the readings on a small screen in the back. Okay, Tucker and Caboose checks out… He thought to himself- then blinked. "Huh?"

"What's up?" Church asked.

But DuFresne ignored him, tapping the small screen a bit. "That's weird…it says that Erica's vitals are…odd."

"What does that mean?"

"I dunno," the medic shrugged, before he turns it off. "But she seems fine, so I think the device is gipped. Anyways, everyone here checks out. I'll come back and check on you before I leave the canyon. Can you tell me which way to the Red Base?"

"Why?" Tucker asked. "You said you weren't going to fight 'em."

"I'm not," DuFresne confirmed. "Resources are low, so I'm on loan to both armies to help whichever side needs me at the time."

"Man, that is so freakin' lame," Church muttered angrily.

"I'm just gonna go to Red Base and see if they need any help," DuFresne said, gesturing to the other side of the canyon.

"Well, if you're gonna go up to Red Base, I'd recommend putting away that little medical thingie of yours," Church advised him. "They see you walking up carrying that thing, they're gonna shoot it right out of your hands."

And as if right on cue, there was a loud bang and DuFresne felt his scanner get ripped out of his hand, to his surprise. "Yeah, just like that," the cobalt male let out in surprise. Just then, another sniper round whizzed past his head and hit the wall behind him. "Scatter!"

To the medic's surprise, they were under attack! By the Reds of all people! In the confusion, he ended up hiding with Church as Caboose and Erica got separated from them. The whole time he was panicking – and holy crap, why is the opposite army attacking them?! He's a freakin' pacifist for crying out loud! – he barely paid attention to Church talking to someone as he was trying to keep himself alive.

But he returned to reality when he heard Church say: "Alright you, Doc, get over there and help Caboose and Erica!"

DuFresne blinked at that. "My name isn't Doc, it is DuFresne."

"Yeah, I can't pronounce that," Church replied. "So from now on, your name is Doc."

"I'm…not really comfortable with that," DuFresne slowly shook his head. "I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic."

"What's the difference?" Tucker – when did he get here? – asked.

"Well, a doctor _cures_ and saves people," DuFresne explained. "A medic just makes them more comfortable…while they die."

"There is no difference!" Erica shouted out. "People still die even _with_ doctors!"

"…Okay, mental note: don't ever get shot," Tucker let out.

"It's settled then," Church decided. "Your name is now Doc."

"Or how about his first name, like Frank!" Erica shouted out again.

"Who the fuck cares?" Church shouted to her.

The medic let out a sigh. "Alright, but I don't think it'll stick."

"Oh, trust us, it'll stick," Tucker assured.

Just then, their radio sounded out. **"Hey, uh, mind listening to me for a second?"** Erica asked.

"Oh god," Church sighed, before he put his fingers over his comm. "What now?"

"**How about we just wait for a few minutes?"** She suggested.

"What? Why would we do that?!" Church exclaimed.

"**Well, you predicted that we'll be attacked by the Reds – though it was a surprise – so maybe I should try and predict that the Reds will be out of ammo soon."**

"Why would the Reds be out of ammo?" Tucker questioned, though, Doc looked over when he noticed that it had gotten silent all of a sudden.

"**I dunno,"** she admitted. **"But from what I saw on the Red Team three months ago…I'd assume that one of them wouldn't bring extra ammo."**

"Somehow I doubt that," Church deadpanned.

DuFresne took the time to speak up. "Um…they stopped firing guys."

At once, the two of them looked in the direction where the Reds are…or WERE, but DuFresne managed to see a pink leg sticking out from behind a rock. "…Holy shit, she was right," Church let out, surprised.

"Duh," Erica deadpanned, her and Caboose with them now. "But now what?"

DuFresne didn't know who would respond first, but he didn't expect one of the Reds – one clad in regulation red – to call out, "Hey Blues! We are giving you a chance to surrender!"

"Surrender!?" Church exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Dude that is messed up," Tucker let out.

"Though, it looks like I was right," Erica said. "They're out of ammo."

"Yeah," Church nodded…then called out, "What are your terms?!"

"Their what?" Tucker exclaimed while DuFresne blinked and Erica palmed her visor.

"Seriously…?" She muttered. "We have the advantage here – we could've just made them skedaddle or something!"

"Yeah, like take their girlfriends."

"Or their snacks," Caboose added after Tucker.

"I hope they have chips," she let out. "I mean, it's been three months since I haven't had any – preferably the cheese kind. No spicy of any kind."

DuFresne gave her an odd look. "But chips are bad for your teeth," he pointed out.

"I know," she shrugged. "But they're my favorite snack – besides popcorn and cookies. Certain kinds, really."

"Alright Blues! First off: we want your flag-" The Red one – probably the Reds' leader – began but cut off a bit before hastily added, "…To stay right where it is. Keep the flag. But we _do_ want our mechanized droid guy back."

"Uh oh," Church let out.

"You may know him as Señor El Roboto," the Red Leader described.

"Well, Church, what's it gonna be?" Tucker asked the De-Facto leader.

"Chingado, no way!" Church retorted, grabbing himself protectively. "I'm not giving back my body, I just got this thing."

"And there's the fact that the Reds are the ones that killed you," Erica pointed out.

"That too."

"And don't think you can keep his nuts or bolts or any other mechanical parts you may have," the Red Leader called out just then.

"Shit," Church grumbled.

"So what now, oh great Leader?" Erica asked with a snarky tone.

"Shut the hell up," the cobalt robot growled at her before clearing his throat. "Uh, uh, he's not here anymore," he called out.

"Yeah, he left," Tucker called out as well. "He was all like 'Sayonara!' and then he just took off."

"Lav, that's Japanese," Erica corrected him. "What you're looking for is 'Adiós!' or something like that. I don't know Spanish."

"Whatever," the two of them said. Then Church looked over at DuFresne.

"…What?" He asked, having a bad feeling.

"Hmm… Let's try this," he murmured before turning to the Reds. "Hey Reds! How about a medic? Would you take a medic as a hostage?"

"Wait, a hostage?" DuFresne blinked. "But I'm supposed to go over there."

"Yeah, I know," Church nodded. "But you're basically useless to us right now. Unless one of us got shot or something earlier, _then_ you could've stuck around."

…Although that was mean, it was also the truth, the medic thought sadly. "Okay, just send me over," he sighed. "I don't think I'll be of much use here."

"Okay," Church nodded then turned back to the Reds. "Okay! We're gonna send over our medic. Now what do _we_ get?"

"You?!" The man clad in maroon yelled out, popping out. "You're surrendering! You don't get anything except humiliation and ridicule!"

"We've already got that!" Tucker shouted back. "What else do you have?"

"What do you want?" Red Leader asked.

It took a bit for Church to think of it before he exclaimed, "How about if you admit that the Red Team sucks?"

"What?" Erica let out. "Couldn't we have just taken their flag?"

"Or their mortal souls?" Caboose asked in his scary voice.

"Yeah, but we don't want the Reds to call in a Freelancer to get it," Church pointed out with a bored tone. "Do you want that?"

Erica made a thoughtful gesture for a bit then nodded. "Good point."

"What if we admit that one of us sucks?" The Red Leader called back.

"What-? Hey, c'mon!" Church called out to them.

Erica let out a sigh. "This could take a while," she said as Church and Tucker argued with the Reds.

And, to DuFresne's surprise, it took nearly two hours for them to come to terms of their agreement. The three of them sat off to the side, watching – well, mostly him; Erica and Caboose drew on a sketch book for a while – as they waited. DuFresne fiddled around with his scanner a bit then looked over at Erica. He looked over his device a bit before he decided to scan her again. He had to make sure that it really wasn't gipped before he moves on.

And yet, to his surprise – again, this day is full of surprises – the results are the same. It says that her vitals are strange. As if her body was…augmented, sort of like the Spartan-IIs but…different. Not…human. And yet, she seems to be functioning fine for some reason. He made to contact command-

"Okay, Doc, c'mon," Church called out.

It took him a bit to realize that 'Doc' is the name they gave him. "Oh, right," he quickly let out, getting up from the rock he was using as a chair. He also heard shuffling and Erica and Caboose joined him as they got to Tucker and Church. He made a mental note to contact command after this.

"Okay then, we agree to the terms?" Church called out. "You first, and then we send over the medic."

The Reds nudged out a man in orange armor as he looked back at them then looked to have sighed. "I would just like to let everyone know that I suck!"

"And?" Church prompted out as Tucker and Erica snickered.

"And that I'm a girl!"

"What else?"

"And I like ribbons in my hair," the orange one continued before he seems to have glared at his team. "And I want to kiss all the boys!"

Behind them, Tucker and Erica laughed as Church did a few snickers himself. "Okay, is that good enough?" Simmons called down to them.

It took Church a bit to compose himself. "Yeah!" He replied loudly. "Alright, go ahead, Doc."

"Well, see ya Frank," Erica waved at him.

"Yeah, I- wait, Frank?" DuFresne let out in surprise.

"Well, yeah, do you mind that?" She asked him, confused.

"Uh…"

Church nudged him. "C'mon, move it!"

"Oh, right! Bye!" He quickly ran over to the middle of the canyon to the Reds.

Once he got to them, the orange one grumbled, "Man, I hope you're worth this..."

"Can I ask you a question?" Frank began before looking back at the Blue base and back at them. "Do they put something in the water here?"

"Water?" the orange one parroted. "We ran out of water six months ago."

"No water?" Frank let out in surprise. No wonder all of them are weird. "Then what do you drink?"

"Uh, you know, ketchup, uh, soy sauce, gravy...the usual," the orange one shrugged.

...That probably explains so much - ketchup has a lot of sugar in it, and soy sauce has a lot of salt in it. The gravy...that depends on the ingredients. The blood cells have probably been drained of too much water, and they don't have a lot of oxygen traveling to the brain.

"I only drink the blood of my enemies," the red one piped up. "And occasionally a strawberry Yoo-hoo, or a 'sarsaparilla. Grenadine, straight from the can. Deeelicious. ...Oh, occasionally I do enjoy a 'Sex on the Beach', or a piña colada." The red one headed towards their base, singing the song while adding in his own bits with the others following him.

DuFresne stared blankly at them. "...Colorful people, that's for sure," he muttered.

"Hey! Are you coming?" The orange one called out to him.

"Uh- Sorry!" DuFresne let out before he quickly followed them.

_**~o~**_

In a few hours that he had been there, he found out the names of the reds by their color. The orange one is Grif (who seems pretty lazy), the maroon one is Simmons (who's pretty loyal to the red leader), said red leader is Sarge (what is his first name anyway? He's just named…Sergeant – Sarge for short) and the last one is…the pink one, Donut. Donut is a rookie that came in three months ago, and as he sat in the jail cell – which is really, really odd, because he's a medic, not a hostage (though, for some odd reason, he had a feeling that this could happen a lot in the future) – he heard that a few things had occurred three months prior.

Donut somehow survived a plasma grenade to the face (but he had scars over his skin, and his right ear is damaged, but it seems that he can still hear through it). And…there was the fact that Sarge had been in a coma for three days, but he recovered nicely. Which is…pretty odd, really.

Other than that, all of the reds are pretty fine (sans Grif, who has multiple problems that medical science just couldn't fix no matter how advanced human technology is).

But…the silence during the time is just so…unsettling. Right now, Grif is keeping watch of him, and after a minute, the chubby man groaned. "God, it's so damn boring!" He complained.

DuFresne shifted uncomfortably. "Well, uh…what do you want to talk about then?"

"Fuck, I don't know," Grif sighed. "Our jeep was wrecked three months ago by that tank, and the robot we've got disappeared the same day. Other than fixing it up for three months straight, it's gotten so damn boring!"

"Huh," the medic let out. He then thought of something. "So what exactly happened that day anyway? I heard that Sarge recovered from a three day coma."

"Oh…that, yeah, I've been trying to get that incident out of my head for a while."

DuFresne blinked. "Uh…okay…?"

Grif groaned. "Sarge was doing Caramelldansen before he slipped into a coma."

Again, DuFresne blinked. "Isn't that song and dance hundreds of years old?"

"I know! I'm just surprised that Sarge knows the song!"

"And here I thought the Blues are weird…" Frank muttered to himself.

"Who's weird?" Grif asked, confused.

"The Blues," says Frank.

"Oh. Yeah, they're a bunch of assholes," Grif agreed. "Sarge even said that they have a girl over there."

"You must be talking about Erica."

"Erica?" Grif sounded surprised.

"Yeah," DuFresne nodded.

"Huh…and here I thought that Sarge was going crazy," the orange clad man admitted. "There was that chick in black that beat us up three months ago, and fired a tank at us – is this other one mean as well?"

"Uh…" DuFresne trailed off to think. "She doesn't seem threatening."

"Oh thank God."

DuFresne took note of the sigh of relief in Grif's voice. "…How long have you guys been here?" He asked incredulously.

"Eh, a pretty long time," Grif shrugged. "Its, uh, it's pretty lonely down here."

"Ouch," DuFresne winced.

"Tell me about it."

At that moment, Sarge called out, "Grif, yer supposed to be watching the prisoner not playing lookie-loo with him all day long!"

"Come on, Sarge," Grif called back. "He doesn't even have a gun."

"Oh, you two will be great friends then," Simmons shouted. "He doesn't have a gun, and you didn't bring any ammo!"

"Hey, at least I'm keeping an eye on our prisoner!" Grif retorted. "Unlike someone who lost two prisoners months ago!"

"Oh man, that is a burn!" Donut exclaimed. "Dude, you just got burned. Burned, dude, burned!"

"Shut up!" Simmons snapped. "Your armor's fucking pink!"

"Hey!"

"Uh, hey guys?" DuFresne cut in. "I-I just want everybody to know that Grif and I aren't, uh, technically friends. We were just talking is all; really!"

The medic looked back at Grif, who stared at him with wide eyes. "Uh…sorry man, but it's pretty obvious that you're really unpopular," he explained, "and if I'm gonna make any progress around here at all, I can't really be directly associated with you. I'm sure you understand."

Grif bowed his head with a whine. "Look, it's only because no one in Red Team likes you," DuFresne added.

The soldier looked back up at him with big doe eyes…making the poor medic uncomfortable. "Um…please stop staring at me."

Several uncomfortable minutes later, Grif sadly left the room. DuFresne couldn't help but…feel bad. _'Well, what am I supposed to do?'_ He thought. _'I mean, Grif was pretty nice, but… if I want the others to like me, then I shouldn't associate with him at all-' _Strange crashing sounds were heard in the base. "What was that?" He asked before he stepped out of the jail cell – Grif accidentally left it open – to see-

The next thing he knew, he hears a squeal of tires, before the Warthog barreled right at him. "Uh oh," was all he had time to let out before it crashed into him-

And not only did he miraculously survive…somehow, he landed into the driving seat of the vehicle as it drove around the base like a maniac. The medic, after trying to get himself to sit up straight in the seat, let out a terrified scream as the Warthog zoomed out of the Red Base and drives out towards the canyon.

"Help! This jeep is kidnapping me!" He screamed as the jeep drove by the Reds.

Just as it got to the middle of the canyon the jeep let out a series of beeps. "Huh?"

"_Stop."_The jeep came to a complete stop, nearly throwing DuFresne from the Warthog.

But he was busy staring down at the jeep to notice. "…Did the jeep just talk?" He looked up. "Oh, I can see the Blue base from here."

He could make out four figures at the top of the roof – two of which are crowding around one, as the last one is off to the side before they looked out. He couldn't see what color they are from the distance, however…but he was pretty sure that the cobalt one is Church the other two were crowding around.

"_Turn around,"_ the Warthog said before it begins to turn itself around.

"Uh…"

There were radio sounds. **"Frank DuFresne, this is Erica,"** she said. **"Are you okay?"**

"Uh…yeah, sort of," he reported. "The jeep started to act crazy all of a sudden!"

"**Oh… uh, that's kind of our fault," **she apologized. **"The guys are trying to see if they can get the droid to work to fix up our tank."** There was a pause. **"…And Mikey just broke the switch that controls it."**

"Uh oh," the medic let out before it faces Red Base. "Oh man, what now?"

"**Frank, um, if I were you, I'd probably get out of the Warthog right now."**

"Why?"

"**Trust me on this dude, you'd-" **She cut herself off.** "Uh, nope. Talking to no one. Don't mind me! What? Come on, you guys have got bigger things to-" **All of a sudden, the tires began to rev up. **"Oh boy."**

"What?" DuFresne asked nervously.

He didn't expect the jeep to answer: _"Acquire target: red."_

Frank looked up to see the Warthog aiming at the Reds. And since Sarge is the only one colored red…

"Uh oh."

The Warthog drove at full speed towards Sarge, effectively knocking him onto the wall. "Oh, I'm pinned!" Sarge cried out,

"Sorry!" Doc cried out (and now he's used to calling himself that now) before the Warthog spoke up:

"_Eliminate red target."_

Doc did a take in horror as the machinegun behind his head turned to one side and started firing at the wall, drawing closer to Sarge's head. He could barely hear anything else other than the roar of the gun. He's gotta try to stop this!

"Um, okay, how do I…?" Doc mumbled as he looked around to find something to stop this thing. He found the keys in the ignition and twisted it to turn it off, and yanked them out. But to his shock, that didn't stop it. "What the-? How did-?!"

He looked back up, and nearly screamed in terror as Sarge tried to keep the gun away from his head. Though, it seems like it would be a losing battle. _'Come on, come on…!'_ Doc mentally yelped, looking around the dashboard to find a way to stop it. He tried to push some of the buttons, but all that did was activate the windshield wipers, the headlights and even the radio. …And why is it playing a Mexican song?

"Oh no!" Doc yelped out as he looked back and closed his eyes for the inevitable sound of Sarge's head exploding in a hail of bullets…

…But instead, the gun slowly died down before there was a series of beeps. **"Signal lost."** It let out, before it seems to turn off completely.

DuFresne let out a sigh of relief, slumping in the Warthog and turned off the music and the windshield wipers. "That was close…" He muttered, relieved.

"Wow, that was a close one," Grif commented. "Are you okay, Sarge?"

"Ah, horse puckey, I'm fine." Sarge then let out a sigh. "Although I do have to admit, maybe a little bit disappointed."

"It's okay, sir," Simmons said. "I know that you said a lot of things that you didn't mean. People say crazy stuff when they're faced with their own mortality."

What did Sarge say then?

"It's not that," Sarge corrected him. "I just felt like I could have taken him."

Even Doc had to stare at him. "Taken who? The machine gun?" Grif asked incredulously.

"Oh he was a worthy opponent to be sure," Sarge spoke, "but right at the end there he was beginning to show signs of weakness. Cracks in the armor, if you will."

"What?" Grif yelped. "You can't fight a machine gun!"

"Yeah, Sarge," Donut agreed. "I know you're tough and all, but it is kinda hard to beat up hundreds of armor piercing bullets using only your face." That's a good point.

"And yet he surrendered," Sarge said with a sly tone.

"Guys, guys, it is okay." Doc spoke up for the first time in a while, "I've seen this before. Sarge just lived through a very traumatic ordeal. We all have ways of coping with the stress."

"Oh yeah? How do _you_ deal with it?" Grif asked him.

"Oh, I have my own system that works pretty well for me," the medic answered. He then sniffed the air and glanced down at the seat, cringing. "By the way, the driver seat of the jeep is gonna need a thorough cleaning."

"Aw, gross," Grif muttered.

"Hey, Doc," Simmons then spoke up, "although I'm sure Sarge enjoys having his spine pulverized into dust, maybe you should go ahead and back up the Warthog."

"Oh, right, sorry," Doc nodded. He looked over at the controls next to him and noticed that it shifts into gears. He drove cars before – how bad could this be? He changed gears to (he was sure) reverse and hit the gas pedal-

But the jeep only revved forward and smashed into Sarge. "OH, hot buttered lugnuts!" The red Sergeant cried out in pain.

'_Oops,'_ Doc thought nervously. "Sorry! I-I was just in the wrong get, let me just…" he looked back and shifted it back to where he had it and tried again-

Only to ram into Sarge. Again. "Yeow!" The Red Leader yelped in pain again. "Geez, there goes mah last kidney! I saving that one for a special _occasion_!"

Doc winced and nervously looked over at the other Reds. "Umm… third time's the charm?"

"I don't think so, Poindexter," Simmons retorted- oh wow, he's pissed. He pointed at Doc and to the ground. "Out of the jeep, NOW!"

"I'm really sorry, guys," Doc stammered. "I was only trying to help… really!"

"Oh, is that all?" Grif asked. "I for one was totally confused. I thought you were savagely trying to kill our Sergeant by ramming him over and over again with a six thousand pound steel death machine. Now that we know that you're just trying to help, by all means, please continue."

Doc blinked. "…Really?"

"GET OUT!" Grif and Simmons yelled, prompting the medic to scramble out of the car.

After Grif moved the Warthog off of Sarge, Doc was moved to the side as the four of them conversed amongst each other for a while before Grif and Simmons moved towards him. "C'mon, let's go," Grif said.

"Where are we going?" Doc asked them.

"We're giving you back to the Blues," Simmons answered.

"…Oh, okay," Doc let out dejectedly before he followed the two.

It's a small, few minute hike, but they went over the hill that over looked the Blue Base. Doc…can't see from where they are, but he isn't sure on what the four of them are doing right now. One of them turned to the others for a bit then jumped off the roof to head towards them. "Uh oh," Grif let out before they – or rather Erica, since he could see her indigo armor – got up to them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" She called out, getting to them. "What are you guys doing?"

Grif and Simmons stared at her. "…Oh my God, it really is a girl!" Simmons let out.

Erica groaned. "Again? Seriously, how long have you guys been here?"

"Far too long," Grif admitted, bowing his head.

"Ugh…" Erica winced, before she shook her head a bit. "Anyways, what are you doing here, Reds?" She glanced over to him. "Along with Frank?"

"Well, we-" Simmons began before he paused. "Wait, Frank?"

"That's me," Doc answered.

Grif and Simmons stared at him for a bit then back at her. "…Anyway," Simmons began again, "we just came to give back the prisoner."

Erica stared at them for a bit. "That's all?" She asked.

"Uh… yeah, is that a problem?" Simmons asked, sounding a hint nervous.

"Uh…" Erica glanced behind her for a bit then back at them. "Well, I have to talk about it with our leader. But we're kind of busy doing…something."

"What exactly is that?" Grif asked, curious as Doc peeked behind her to see what the Blues are doing. Tucker looked like it was working quickly to do…something to Church's crotch? Or rather the droid's crotch, recalling that Church is a ghost and possessing the robot's body.

"Sorry, different teams, remember?" Erica asked them.

"Meh, worth a shot," Grif shrugged as Tucker looked to have succeeded in reattaching something before gesturing to Caboose to help him with something, with the Blue Rookie nodding and going over to them.

"No it wasn't," Simmons retorted as the two of them grabbed Church by the arms and seemed to strain on turning Church around to face them. "That was a terrible attempt."

"I gotta agree with him on that," Erica admitted. She then tilted her head. "Oh, hold on." She pressed her fingers to the side of her helmet. "Yeah? Oh, you did?" Doc looked back to see Tucker doing the same thing. "Great! Okay, I'm heading back now." She lowered her hand. "Okay, we're ready."

"Ready for what?" Grif asked, confused.

But she just ignored them as she headed back to the base. "…Rude much," Simmons commented.

"Tell me about it," Grif nodded. "But at least she didn't beat us up like that chick in black armor."

"True," Simmons nodded before the three headed on.

They got to the base, with Church calling out, "What the hell do you guys want? Get outta here or we'll start shootin' at ya"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Simmons exclaimed, holding his hands up. "We didn't come here to fight; we just came to give back the prisoner."

"Give him back?" Tucker cried out incredulously. "You can't give him back, you took him; a deal's a deal."

"Yeah, well forget it," Grif called back. "We don't want him."

"Well, sorry," Church shouted back. "You can't have another prisoner. That was our last one."

"What about the chick then?" Grif asked.

"FUCK NO!" Erica shouted from somewhere.

"Yeah, no deal," Church said. "We have our teams evened up, and I ain't losing anyone."

"And besides, you already have a chick over there," Tucker added.

Grif and Simmons gave each other a look. "What are you talking about?" Simmons asked. "We don't have a girl."

"Yes you do!" Caboose called out. "There's someone in pink armor with you!"

The two Reds gave each other a look. "Do they mean Donut?" Grif asked, confused.

"Well, he does have pink armor," Simmons said.

"Okay, listen, we don't want him back and we don't care what you do with him," Church called out (and Doc cringed – that was…mean right there). "Now if you don't mind, we'd appreciate it if you'd leave us alone. We're in the middle of something'… kinda private over here."

Simmons grunted in frustration. "Fine!" He shouted as he, Grif and Doc set off back up the hill. "But don't come asking for him back later."

"We won't! Tucker shouted.

At the top of the hill, Grif turned back to them. "Last chance!"

"Beat it, Reds!" Church hollered.

"Alright, we're going, we're going," Grif grumbled before he caught up to them. "Man, and here I thought _our_ team was messed up."

Doc sighed sadly. _'Well, it couldn't be any worse…'_ He thought as he made to head back to Red Base- but Simmons cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Doc blinked at Simmons' question.

"Back to Base with you guys," he replied. "They don't want me over there."

He made to move pass Simmons, but Grif grabbed him by the arm. "Yeah, I don't think so," the orange soldier said, pulling him back.

"What?" Doc cried out in surprise. "You're not just gonna leave me out here in the middle of nowhere…" he looked around a bit, "by myself?"

"Yeah," Simmons nodded as Grif released him. "That's kind the general idea." Simmons then headed back to the base, with Grif following.

"W-Wait!" Doc cried out in panic. "Not you too, right Grif? Old buddy? Huh?"

Grif turned to him and crossed his arms. "Sorry, but it's pretty clear that you're not very popular around here, and if I'm gonna make any progress at all, I can't be directly associated with you." At Frank's stunned silence, the orange soldier shrugged. "I'm sure you understand."

Soon, Grif left the poor medic along at the middle of the canyon. Doc sighed sadly. _'I, uh, I suppose that's Karma… and a bit of irony…'_ He thought. He glanced over the hill where the Blue Base is. _'Surely the Blues aren't that Heartless… are they?'_

He headed up the hill and got near the base. "Hey guys!" He called out, waving his arms. "Uh, do you think I could come and hang out at your Base for a while?"

"I knew it!" Caboose exclaimed in fear. Doc blinked. What? 'We're all gonna die!" Caboose then aimed his gun at Tucker, in a scary voice, "Starting with you!"

Tucker moved a couple of paces back from Caboose. "Sorry, but we're kind busy here!" Tucker shouted at him. "So go away… or something."

"Normally I wouldn't impose," Doc called back. "It's just that I don't know the neighborhood too well and-"

"Listen, Doc!" Church interrupted. "You're not fooling anyone with that 'innocent victim' routine."

What? "Hey uh, I could help!" He offered. "I know more than just medicine! I'm trained in psychology too. Maybe I could help you with your teammate's problems?"

"Just get out of here!" Church yelled (making Frank wince). "And tell your buddies the Reds that their little 'plan' failed."

Frank tried to say something but sighed sadly. "Well, this is just great…" He murmured. "I can't believe I failed out of medical school for this…"

The sun is going to set soon, so he better find some shelter. He headed towards the cliff wall nearby, and found a hole. "Well, this is as good as any…" he mumbled before he went in.

He managed to make a small fire in a tunnel, and he sat near it. By the clock on his HUD, its already night time. The medic sighed before he pulled off his helmet. "This turned into the worse day ever. Of all time," he muttered, running his hand through his hair as he sets his helmet down.

Frank isn't sure how long he was supposed to be here – he was supposed to help either teams before he moves on…but the Reds AND Blues don't want it. Honestly, he doesn't blame them; he is kinda of a bad medic after all. He tried his best, really, but it isn't as simple as it looks. He only has basic knowledge on medical skills after all. He just…

He just wanted to help, that's all.

He let out another sigh. A noise reached his ears and he perked up, looking around. "Uh… who's there?" He asked warily.

The noise appeared again, and he looked to the tunnel, seeing a beam of light. He realized that the sound were footsteps. The light gets closer and closer until the owner get to him.

"There you are," Erica said as she lowered her flashlight. From the light of the fire, he could see that she has curly brown hair, a pair of glasses…and her eyes are pretty dark. "At least you were smart enough to use this place as a temporary shelter."

Doc blinked at her. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't help but ask before he noticed that she has a bundle of blankets, a pillow and a bag filled with…stuff in it.

"Listen, I know that Church can be an asshole, and so is Lav at times," Erica spoke up as she set them down. "But… well, maybe I'm a bleeding heart, but I'm not letting you freeze to death out here… or starve. Or dehydrate. I just brought you some things."

Again, he blinked. "R-Really?"

"Well, yeah," Erica shrugged. "I mean, you are a crappy medic-" Frank deflated a bit, though perked up when she added: "but a lot of us are pretty crappy at a lot of things. You're among people who are, well, pretty much useless at things we thought we were good at."

Frank rubbed his chin a bit, thoughtful. "…I guess that's true," he admitted.

The indigo clad woman dug through the bag and pulled out a water bottle. "Here," she handed it to him.

"Thanks," Frank nodded before unscrewing the cap and drank a bit.

"I had to get away for a bit after we got Lopez to co-operate," Erica said. "I don't want to hear Church bitch at me some more."

"What happened?" Frank asked.

"Mikey got an idea for Church to exit out of Lopez for a bit to get him to fix his legs and our tank," Erica explained. "We didn't count on Lopez to have a repair unit in him and he took off. We managed to stop Lopez until we were nearly attacked by the Reds. As we ran, the Reds was ready to mow down Lopez, not realizing that it was their robot."

"Oh right, you guys spray painted him blue…" Frank nodded.

"Anyway," the woman continued, "Lopez probably made the jeep blew up, and we managed to get him to agree to fix our tank. But it was late and we decided to save it for the morning."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "But wouldn't the robot go back to his team?"

"Well, he could've," the woman shrugged. "But he didn't make another attempt to break for it."

"Huh," Doc muttered. "That's weird."

"Tell me about it," Erica shrugged. "It's been nothing _but_ weird since I got here." The woman then stood up. "Well, I'll be seeing you Frank. Have a good sleep." She turned on her light and left.

Frank watched her go for a bit then looked over at the things she left him. "… I guess there are some nice people after all," he let out, making a small smile.

…Though, he felt as if he forgot something.

* * *

**Yeah, he forgot to report to Command about what he 'found'. Though, sadly, he will be forgotten for a while.**

**Sorry for the late chapter. It's been fighting with me. And it was after New Years and my birthday… *shrugs* Oh well.**

**Leave a review!**


	10. Terrified

Who's the biggest douche of the universe? …The Chairman. And also Felix. Anyway, here's a new chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**PS, only a certain person up in the note makes a bit of a cameo.**_

* * *

My eyes snapped open, feeling my chest burning. Quickly, I sat up and looked around. Was…was that a dream? I looked at the clock. It was 2 A.M.

I let out a sigh, and lie back down onto the bed. The burn in my chest didn't stop burning. It must've been a hell of a nightmare if I was spooked that bad… but the worse thing is…

I don't even remember the dream at all. No image, no faint recollection, anything. As if I had forgotten about the dream completely.

But despite that, I was terrified to go back to sleep. What if I had another horrible dream like that again?

…I didn't want to think about it. I just want to rest…

_**~o~**_

"Damn, what the hell happened to you?"

"Huh?" I mumbled, lifting my face from my arms.

Lav raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

I sighed, before burying my face again. "Had a nightmare," I mumbled. "Scared the fuck out of me."

"Oh," Lav let out lamely.

"Worse part is, I don't remember what the dream is about," I added with a sigh. "But it still scared the shit out of me."

"Well, just make sure that it doesn't bother us in our sleep if you started screaming," Lav said before shrugging. "Sorry, a lot of us want some beauty sleep as well."

I sighed again. "I know. But there's no guarantee that it could happen."

At that moment, Church came in in his 'ghostly' form. _"Man, I just had the weirdest dream,"_ he said. _"Sarge and Simmons are dead, then Simmons came back from the dead as a ghost but Donut killed him, revealing him as Caboose. Then Tucker and Doc appeared, and said that they're going to elope – Doc was even wearing a dress. Lopez was speaking French as well."_

The two of us stared at him. "…What did you ate last night?" I asked him.

"_I'm a ghost, remember?"_ Church deadpanned.

"Right, I know," I muttered.

"Why'd you ask him that?" Lav asked me.

"Well, sometimes what you eat can give you weird dreams," I explained. "My sister gets weird dreams when she eats something cheesy before she went to bed."

The dark skinned man raised an eyebrow at me. "…Okay…?"

"_Anyways, get into your armor you guys,"_ Church got our attention back to him. _"We're heading out with Lopez."_

Oh, right. To fix Shelia.

…Now that I thought about it, I haven't heard from Tex all day. I mean, she was there when Frank (or should I call him Doc?) appeared; well, in my head. I haven't heard from her all morning. But then again, she liked to disappear from my helmet from time to time. Probably to spy on O'Malley… or catch Lav doing the 'deed' around a rock.

Well, she'll come back soon, but in Lopez after Shelia is fixed. …I'll probably may have to ask Church what Mikey thought of me later…

_**~o~**_

"Wow," I let out after we looked over Shelia. The grenade did some bad damage to the tank. If Donut wasn't a part of a fake army, he could've been a football player, with that arm of his. I probably won't ask him to toss the football sometime later – to my luck, he'll probably throw it so far that I can't even keep up.

It took Lav and me a while to get into our armor, and even longer to wake up Mikey. Though, the two of us are admittedly terrified to wake him up. With Omega in his head, he could rip off our heads or something. Not a very pleasant thought. So we managed to get Church to do it, and spent half an hour giggling/laughing as Mikey attempted to glomp Church, always going through him. Afterwards, we got him ready to meet up with Lopez and then inspected Shelia.

"Man, this will suck," Lav sighed.

"Wait, why?" I asked.

I later found out that we all had to push the damn tank _all_ the way back to our fucking base. Of course, I complained about it ("This is fucking bullshit!" Church: _"Suck it up,"_) until we – reluctantly on my part – worked together to push it all the way back. After what seemed like forever, we managed to get it near our base.

I was nearly dead tired and the first to collapse, followed by Lav as the two of us panted like crazy. _"Man you guys are wimps,"_ Church let out.

Raising my head, I glared at him. "Fuck you Church," I growled. If there is a way to kill and AI- oh, wait, there is. The EMP.

The asshole AI ignored us and spoke to Lopez about an agreement. I blotted out the conversation to focus on the breathing exercises Tex taught me a while ago. It took a bit, but I was the first to sit up. "How are you up so quick?" Lav asked me, still panting.

I had to come up with a quick lie to cover my tracks. "I read about it."

Lav stared at me, still panting. "You read about it?"

I shrugged. "Well… most of it. It took me a while to get it right though. I could teach you if you want."

The man seems to have considered it. "…Yeah, why not?"

While Church and Lopez spoke to each other, I put Lav through the basics of the exercises that Tex taught me. It wasn't long until Lav seemed to have gotten the jest of it before I heard Church spoke up. _"Alright, that's the deal, mister robot," _he finished. _"You fix our tank, we'll let you go free."_

"I thought the plan was to trick him into fixing the tank and then Church will take over his body again when he is done," Mikey, uh… loudly whispered.

I looked back at the rookie as Lav deadpanned, "Yeah, but you don't tell the person you're tricking what's going on, Caboose."

"Wait, so if I'm the one being tricked, then you would not tell me what is really going on?!" Mikey let out, shocked.

"Uh… why on earth would we trick you?" I asked, confused. "I mean, I can't hide my intentions from people. I'm not good at being mean. Selfish, yes; being mean on purpose… not so much."

Lav looked over at me. "…Yeah, you don't seem to have a mean bone in your body," he admitted.

"We have mean bones?" Mikey asked, confused.

"It's…an analogy, Mikey," I tried to explain. "I just don't have it in me to be mean to everyone on purpose."

"Oh."

I looked back to watch Lopez as he worked on the tank. "…So how long do you think it'll take him to fix our tank?" I asked.

"_Who knows?"_ Church shrugged. _"It'll probably take him days, weeks, or even months-"_

"En aproximadamente una hora," we looked over at Lopez when he was welding in something in the driver's part of the tank. The robot shrugged. "El daño no es demasiado grave realidad."

We stared at him in silence. I sighed. "Man, I feel bad for not understanding what he's saying…" I admitted, feeling bad for Lopez.

"_He's a robot, I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind,"_ Church said.

"Maybe but… imagine that for the whole time he existed, he didn't even have a voice. And when he does, the only language he can speak is Spanish! You felt elated that you can finally be heard and understood, but… that elation died away when you realize that you're not even understood! You'll probably spend an entire life trying to find ways to be understood, but people are either too ignorant or too stupid to comprehend-"

"_Okay, shut up!" _Church ordered me. _"Why the hell do you go into these moments, huh?"_

I paused a bit to think, before shrugging. "I have no idea," I admitted. "My mind is an enigma."

Church stared at me. _"…You and Caboose are enigmas as far as I'm concerned."_

"Hmm, good point," I conceded.

"… Ustedes son muy, muy raro," Lopez said.

"Hey! We're not weird!" Lav retorted…though I noticed he had the Spanish dictionary out.

"… Where did you get that?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I ran in a while ago to know what he's saying," Lav shrugged. He flipped through the pages a bit. "Okay, what'd he said earlier…?"

"I think it's… um… 'en aproxi…madmen…te… una hora'…?" I trailed off, uncertain. My pronunciation sucks.

"Okay…" We waited a beat for him to find it. And it seems like he did when he exclaimed: "Holy shit! An hour?!"

"_What about it?"_ I wasn't the only one confused, but Church was the first to ask it.

"He said he'll be done in an hour!" Lav quickly explained.

…Did…did I hear that right? "…Seriously?" I asked, stunned.

"_But that's fucking impossible!" _Church exclaimed. _"No robot is that fast!"_

"Oh, he fixed the lid!" Mikey took that time to pipe up.

The three of us looked over to see that, yes, Lopez _is_ done fixing up the canopy of the tank, before he moved on to fix up the cabin. …And during the whole time we spent talking, the tank looked…like it was brand spanking new!

We all stared. "…holy fucking shit, he's a really fast robot," I commented.

"Yeah…" Lav agreed.

I mean, I knew he was 'fast' with how quickly he build the underground holographic chamber under the Red Base at Valhalla, and various vehicles but… I always thought that was just an exaggeration! Are the machines just so complex that it's easy and fast for Lopez to fix and build them?

…On the other hand, he's the only one who's more intelligent than us – he just had to put up with the bullshit we went through. Specifically, the shenanigans the Reds go through.

It took a while, and we did a few things as we waited around. Lav and I played a bit of a word game (where you say a word and you had to come up with another word that starts with the last letter of that word), Church just looked impatient (though, seriously, how can you tell? His avatar has a helmet for crying out loud), and Mikey…well, he just bouncing in place eagerly.

"Ino."

"Operate."

"Excel."

"Libido." Goddammit Lav!

"Orion."

"Nickel."

"Lacerate."

"Ejaculation." Ugh!

"Nevermore."

"Equal."

"Lame."

"Execute."

"Exam."

"Masturbate."

"Dammit Lav! Why do we bother playing this if you kept doing that?!" I finally snapped. Seriously, most of the words he used are innuendoes or sexual things….and it didn't help that at some parts, I was blushing. Thank God for my helmet.

"Well, looks like I win," Lav said with a cheeky smile in his voice.

I grunted, unamused.

"_Hey, can you guys not argue like a married couple for a few seconds?"_ Church deadpanned to us- wait, what?!

"We're not a married couple!" …My insistence came out more as a whine. I paused a bit before adding, "And we're not dating!"

"_Right…"_ Church sounded unconvinced.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, fix the tank!" Mikey exclaimed, sounding eager. "Fix the tank; so I can say hello to Sheila… And start killing everyone!"

…I'm still a bit unnerved by an O'Malley possessed Mikey.

"Uh… you mean all the Reds, right?" Lav asked nervously.

"Of course," Mikey nodded, before adding (O'Malley mode again), "For starters!"

Still creepy, I thought, shuddering. I looked around. Where the hell is Tex?

"Completo," Lopez suddenly called out. An engine started and I looked back to see him getting out of the tank to stand beside us as the tank powered up.

"Thank you for activating the M808V Main Battle Tank," Sheila spoke up. …Does she always say that whenever she's turned on?

"Sheila, you're fixed!" Mikey squealed happily before hugging her trends. "You're fixed!"

The AI tried to turn her cannon to look at him. "Hello, Private Caboose," she said pleasantly. "It is good to see you again. Thank you for repairing me."

"He didn't fix you, our robot did," Lav corrected.

"Don't cock-block me!" Mikey growled at him.

I raised my eyebrow. "…Where the hell can you even insert it?" I mumbled. "In the exhaust port?" Oh God, I don't think I'll get that disturbing image out of my head.

Thankfully, I was unheard. Though Shelia sounded surprised as she asked, "Robot? I wasn't aware that our squad was outfitted with a robot."

"Umm…" I trailed off, trying to find the right way to explain it to the AI in the tank. Thankfully though, she was distracted as she 'looked' over at Lopez, as the Spanish robot looked up at her as well. If this was an anime, the two of them could be staring at each other with their eyes glittering as they had fallen in love in first sight.

…That's actually romantic in a…strange kind of way.

"Hello there," Shelia said, sounding shy. "My name is Sheila, the M808V Main Battle Tank."

"Y yo soy Lopez la Pesado," Lopez replied with a graceful bow.

"Lopez… What a nice name for such a nice soldier," Shelia said happily. "You have such excellent motor skills."

"Bow-chicka-bow-wow," the words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Even Lopez and Sheila stared at me. I looked over at each of them, feeling my cheeks hot. "…What?"

Church shook his head at me. _"This is sad, you know?"_

"Shut up, Church," I growled.

"Ummm…" Mikey took the time to intervene. "Uh, well, Lopez has to go now, Sheila. He was just here to help me fix you, and now he as to _go away_!"

"Dude, this is getting weird," Lav said, a bit annoyed. "Church, will you take your fucking body back?"

"_Right, got it,"_ the AI nodded before he headed towards Lopez-

At the corner of my eye, I saw something else flashing towards Lopez, who could only exclaim, "NO!" before he was possessed again. But this time, he seems to be shaking…violently. If Lopez wasn't a robot, this would've been disturbing… but it is still disturbing, regardless of who it was.

"You okay in there, Church?" Lav called out, concerned. "Church! Hey, what's going on? Do I need to flip your switch?"

"Mikey broke that, remember?" I reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

Suddenly, Church came tumbling out of Lopez, landing flat on the ground. "What the…? That wasn't me! What the hell's going on here?"

Oh, so _that's_ who it was. Tex you little sneak.

Just as I thought that, Lopez turned to us. "Well… Buenos Dias, cock-bites… Guess who is back?"

The guys stared at her in shock. "…Tex?" Lav exclaimed in shock.

"Who else?" The female AI deadpanned.

Church suddenly leapt to his feet and stomped up to the possessed robot. _"Get out of my body right now, Tex!"_

"_Your_ body?" Tex parroted. "This isn't your body, I stole it!"

"_Yeah, but I stole it first!"_ Church snapped back.

"I am confused," Sheila took that moment to speak up. "I thought your name was Lopez, and I thought you were a man. This is all so strange. I feel like my circuits are crossed… and I _like _it!"

"…Huh?" I let out, confused.

"I know how to get her out of there!" Mikey suddenly growled, pulling out his pistol and pointing at Tex's helmet. "…Wink!"

"_Caboose, don't!"_ Church quickly intervened before it got too messy. _"Look, just go explain to Sheila, okay?"_

Mikey lowered his gun a bit before he shook his head a bit (like he was snapping himself out of it or something) before nodding. After Mikey climbed onto Sheila, Church directed his attention at Tex. _"Alright, Tex. Now what's it gonna take to get you outta there?"_

"Well, ever since I've been a ghost-" man she's a hell of a liar. But, frankly, I don't blame her "-I've been watching you guys a lot."

"Whoa," Lav suddenly interrupted nervously. "When you say you've been watching us does that mean you've been watching us _all the time?_"

…I didn't bother to look over at his 'private rock', feeling my face flush again. "Like, even when we're alone?"

"Yes, Tucker," Tex scolded him. "And you should be _very _ashamed of yourself."

"H-Hey! The only chick we have here won't even have sex with me!" Lav defended himself. "And besides, it gets very lonely out here! Can you blame me?"

"Leave me out of this!" I exclaimed.

"Anyway, I've noticed a change in one of your guys," Tex continued before jabbing her thumb at the blue soldier on top of Sheila. "Caboose."

"_A change? Like what? He's finally learned the whole alphabet?"_ Church asked.

Since Tex saw what was in my head, she made a gesture that she was rolling her eyes. "No, as in he's becoming increasingly aggressive lately."

"Fuck yes, I have!" Lav piped up. "It started about the same time Sheila got disabled and you got blown up. I tried to tell Church, but he never listens."

"_Tucker, there's a very fine line between not listening and not caring,"_ Church deadpanned. _"I like to think that I walk that line every day of my life."_ What life?

I already heard the explanation before, so I tuned it out as I looked out to the canyon. Well, it's almost nearing the events of the O'Malley situation, with him possessing Doc later- uh oh.

This is, oh shit, what should I do? Should I let things run their course, or try to change it? Omega won't find another host in a while and will probably remain dormant or something.

…On the other hand, there's gotta be a reason for the Reds and Blues to team up temporarily. True that they needed to stop O'Malley…but the Reds are mostly in it to retrieve Lopez with orders from Freelancer Command – a really shitty one at that.

I spent too much time training that I never even thought of this. Dammit I'm up shit creek now…

"Hey!"

"Huh?" I yelped out, turning to Church.

"_C'mon, we gotta do some planning," _Church told me.

Planning?

It soon dawned on me. "Oh! Okay," I nodded. "But, uh, what about Mr. Happy?" I looked over at Mikey as I asked that.

"_I just told him to keep an eye out for trouble," _Church told me. _"Though, would you rather stay out here to watch him? I don't think you'll listen to our plan."_

I kind of already knew what's going to happen, so after I thought about it, I nodded. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on him."

"_Okay, just… try not to get killed or anything."_ Church then headed back into the base, where Tex and Lav are most likely at by now.

I let out a sigh as I looked over at Mikey. "…This is gonna be a long day," I muttered.

"_Don't even think about wondering off again!" _Church called out.

"Okay! I won't wonder around!" I shouted back, before I rolled my eyes. "Geez… what is he, my dad?"

"_I heard that!"_

"Get to fucking Tex you douche!" I shouted. I grumbled under my breath as I headed out to be near Mikey. I tried to get myself calm with deep breathes before I got next to him. "Hey Mikey," I said, as pleasantly as I could.

"Huh? Oh, hey Erica," Mikey greeted me, seemingly oblivious to me and Church shouting at each other a bit ago. "What'cha doing?"

"Well, I figured that I could help you out in keeping an eye out for trouble," I lied. Don't want O'Malley to suspect something.

"Oh, okay," Mikey nodded before the two of us looked around. It was a bit later when he suddenly asked Shelia:

"Oh, um, Shelia? Can you go a bit further to patrol?" I blinked at his wording. What…what is he up to?

"Certainly," Sheila used her cannon to nod before she drove off a bit further.

As she does, I suddenly felt apprehensive. But…why? "Uh…"

"Well…now we're both alone," Mikey said with a… pretty creepy tone before he turned to me.

"M-Mikey?" I began to back up as he headed towards me. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"Oh, its fine, it's fine," Mikey said with a pleasant tone. "I just want to talk with my friend. We haven't spoken like this in a while, huh?"

"Uh… I-I guess," I stuttered- before my back was against something. I looked back to see that it was one of the rocks scattered in front of the base. I hope it isn't Lav's private rock-

I felt something gripping my neck and I was pressed harshly to the rock. I gasped as I was suddenly deprived of oxygen- and my heart seemed to freeze when I heard a dark chuckle. "Now I've got you," they said. "Right where I want you."

I mentally cursed. Shit- Omega! "Y-You're Tex's AI!" I gasped out.

"Well, seems like you were paying attention after all," O'Malley said mockingly. This is- Oh, holy shit, O'Malley's got me! "How quaint."

"L-Let me go!" I gasped out, struggling against his grip, but it's like iron!

"No," the AI tightened his grip a bit. "You've been dodging me for three months. Now that I have you, I will enjoy getting information out of you."

"I-Information? What information?" I choked out.

"Don't play dumb," Omega said sternly. "That was the sole reason why I and Tex are here: to learn about who you are and why you are here."

"I…I don't know! I don't know WHY I'm here!" I insisted.

"Wrong choice of words," Omega sneered before he squeezed harder – he could've broken my neck if he wanted!

I tried to pry his hand loose from my neck, but in my panic, I couldn't do anything. I faintly heard a sinister chuckle as everything began to go dark for me.

Wow… death by an AI possessing someone. What a way to go-

"_O'Malley, stop!"_ Church-?

I heard a growl before I was slammed onto the rock. My head was hit in the right way, and gradually, I lost awareness.

Before I blacked out completely, I heard Omega scream, "NOOOOO!"

_**~o~**_

_I stared down impassibly at the man in the white armor. He looked to be gasping for breath, as his blood leaked from knife wounds. He looked to be normal, as any military can be… but the symbol on his shoulder proved otherwise. Shakily, he reached his hand out to me. "H-Help me…!" He gasped out._

_I tilted my head. Why should I? I don't know him. Isn't the project he was working for our enemy?_

_Footsteps came up beside me. "Well, I thought a few hits would kill him," he said. I glanced over at him, his black and orange armor nearly cleaned of blood. Nearly. "Sturdy bastard."_

"_What should we do?" I asked, my tone blank._

_The man made a thoughtful look. "Well, we can't leave witnesses, can we?"_

_I shook my head. "No. No we can't."_

_The black and orange armored man crossed his arms. "Well then, want to do the honors?"_

_I looked back at the man lying before me. "Are you sure?" I asked._

"_Oh yeah, I'm sure," he answered._

_I nodded. "All right then." I pulled out my pistol and aimed it at the man's head. His eyes widened, as if horrified. I didn't feel anything from the expression. _

_I didn't even flinch as I shot the man, his blood and brain bits landing on my armor. I lowered my gun._

"_So? How do you feel?" The man asked me._

_I stared down at the man I had just killed. Should I…feel anything at all? I'm not sure… Oddly enough, my chest was burning the entire time, but I paid little mind to it._

"…_I don't feel anything," I answered after a moment._

"_Good," another voice spoke up, and we looked over to the man in black and green armor. "That is what a soldier should be about. We all have our orders… and you followed them well."_

_I somewhat blushed at the praise. "Well, never thought I heard Locus praising someone," the other man commented._

"_You would probably follow her example, Felix," Locus told him._

"_Oh shut up," Felix huffed as I stared down at the dead man-_

I shot up. I panted heavily to calm my racing heart. Whenever something scares me – like a nightmare or something like that – it's like my chest is on fire. It spooked the hell out of me for sure. Unlike this morning, though, I could remember my dream now.

…And it fucking spooked me. Locus and Felix? What are those two doing together? I thought they were enemies…aren't they? And that soldier… he's from Project Freelancer, and yet not all of them are in it too deep like the top agents. And yet… I killed him in cold blood.

What…what sort of monster am I? I-!

I felt something coming and I covered my mouth. I looked around quickly before finding a trash can. I hurried over and I lost it.

After I cleared the contents of my stomach out, I sat back down and curled into myself. It…it's all so wrong! I know that we can't help but kill, but… it's either kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest and all…

…But what point is there to just kill for the sake of killing?! It's not fun; it's not pleasurable; it- it's horrible! Horrifically horrible! What kind of monster does that?

What right do they have in judging in who lives and who dies?! We don't play 'god'! It just-! God. God.

Why?!

Oh god, I was never this scared in my life...

* * *

**(Spanish translations)**

'En aproximadamente una hora.' – 'In about one hour.'

'El daño no es demasiado grave realidad.' – 'The damage is not too serious actually.'

'…Ustedes son muy, muy raro.' – '…You guys are really, really weird.'

* * *

**Well… that was a bit dark. Nearly killed by O'Malley, and then had a dream that she was a cold blooded killer. Not a pleasant thing.**

**Leave a review!**

**(Oh, and I have a poll up. Take the time to vote while I make the next chapter, please.)**


	11. Pep Talk

Suddenly, I found it easier to type in my chapters BEFORE putting in my author's note. MAN, I suck… Anyways, here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**

* * *

It took a while for me to regain my composure. I didn't even realize that I was in the medical ward until I was…well, calm. I sat at the bed next to Mikey's, staring at nothing with my arms around my knees. I looked over at the young man, who looked content as he slept away with Tex and Church in his head, finding O'Malley-

The memory of my attack from the AI flashed and I hovered a hand over my throat. I was lucky that Church and Tex came along when they did. Otherwise… I didn't think too much about it.

I wanted to get up, to _move_. But…where can I go? I'm banned from going anywhere without them watching – I'm not a fucking kid. And it's like none of these men are as mature as I am – they act like they are, but they _aren't_.

Honestly, I don't blame them – why are they in a war that held no significance? For what? An enemy's _flag? _

Worst, none of it was _real_. They were placed here because they were deemed _worthless_. Merely used for cannon fodder for 'real' soldiers. Soldiers who lost their way over the need to get better, to best the other. Some took it too far; and they fought over fragmented parts of a tortured AI. An AI tortured for a way for one man to see his beloved again… while I can understand the _need_ to cure Rampancy, why resort to torturing him? They're cloned from the brain of a person they're based on. Its inhumane – everything in this Project is inhumane! Why are humans so _incomprehensible?!_ Why all of these acts of violence? For _what? Peace? Order?_ God-!

I felt my chest burning, but a different kind of burning. With a growl, I got up from the bed and stormed out, leaving my helmet behind – I won't need it.

As soon I was outside, I kicked a rock, but frowned when it didn't budge. Dammit, it's buried in there. With a frustrated growl I kicked it over and over again until it was pried loose. Then, with nothing else better to do, I grabbed the damn thing and threw it. It didn't go far. I stomped up to it and I threw it a bit further towards the canyon wall. I watched as it clacked against the wall before I sighed and leaned against the base. Dammit, I need someone to talk to. But who?

Mikey is out, Tex and Church are in his head, and Lav is at Red Base with Shelia and Lopez to try to convince them to turn off their radios. And I can't seek Frank out – I'm not sure he'll get my frustrations.

And the Reds will shoot me on sight, despite Sarge not harming a female.

I slid down the wall until I was sitting down. I don't think they'll ever get it – the Reds and Blues I mean.

At a young age, I was ostracized for being a weird kid. I can't talk right, can't hear right, and my eyesight is shit – but most of it was my fault. My mindset is 'play, play, play' with no care in the world. Because of this mentality, I was picked on constantly by those in my age group. I wanted to fit in, to be like them – like the _normal_ people. But as I grew, I suddenly realize that my efforts were wasted, and I began to block out everything. I blocked out the world and responsibilities of being the second oldest child in my family. …I even blocked out my own family. As time goes on, I saw the cruelty of humankind through our history, and through things that are otherwise fictional or real. I can never comprehend it, and slowly, I saw that the world…is not what I thought it was. It was cruel. It's full of despair, horror, and many things that I found myself disgusted with. It only made me ignore the world more. Why would I want to be a part of a world with so much cruelty and despair? But a lot of things are filled with horrid, awful things, no matter how hard you look for it.

This new reality is filled with that as well – the horrors of the Human-Covenant war, Project Freelancer… why must we humans have the mentality to fight, fight, fight? Do we fight for the sake of peace; order; money? All we humans are good at is destroying everything we touch. We're destroying our own planet and the ecosystem in our selfishness. We're destroying our own economy because idiots are running their countries. Whatever new thing we find is simply another means to destroy ourselves. The war may bring a nation together, but that's it – to fight for their own survival is when humanity is threatened. We're no different from the 'monsters' we created. Humanity also have the capability to do horrid things like the monsters we make up – sugarcoating it keep the masses ignorant. Ignorance is dangerous – it leads to blind faith and irrational thoughts. Its ignorance that discrimination exists. It's because we're ignorant and apathic that these things happen.

And then one day, you suddenly open your eyes and realized that reality is cruel.

That was what I felt a month and a half ago, when I realized that my family is dead. They have been for a long time. I… I never felt so alone. I tried to move on, I did, but…how the hell can you get pass _grief_? I just… can't do that. Not on something like this. The shock was horrible. I'm literally pulled away from my family who loved me despite my mistakes. I never get to find out what I want to do in my life; I never get to see my sister's wedding; I never get to see her children; I never get to see my brother; I never get to see my parents, grandparents and other family members I never met… I never get to see a _future_ I could've have! I-

Before I knew it, tears were falling down my eyes. I couldn't stop it. I curled in onto myself.

_I'm alone. I don't have anyone…_

"Erica, you're- hey, are you alright?"

_My family… gone. Ripped away from me, just like that._

"Are you-? Holy shit! Are you crying?"

_I'm so…so stupid! How could I-?_

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me, startling me to reality. But the moment that happened, the dam burst and I held onto the person, openly sobbing. The person who held me awkwardly rubbed my back, but I didn't care.

I just… I just need someone to hold me…

_**~o~**_

"So…uh…any particular reason you were crying?" Tucker asked her as he set down a drink for her. He didn't think she would drink beer – she never saw her touch the stuff. So he gave her a water bottle.

Wordlessly, she took the bottle but looked down on it. She sighed. "I…I felt homesick."

"Yeah, I hear ya," he silently nodded as he took a swing.

He let out a sigh after his drink and sat down across from her. An awkward silence permeated the air as they just sat there. Tucker let out a sigh, uncomfortable.

It's been a hell of a day for all of them. They got their tank fixed, and then Tex came back, telling them that her AI had infected Caboose. After they made their plan, he was shocked that the AI had Erica pinned to a rock, chocking her. When he spotted them, he smashed her to the rock before Church and Tex entered Caboose's mind. He was relieved that she was just knocked out, but had to ask Lopez to help him take Caboose and Erica to the medical ward of the base before they set their plan into motion.

Of course, it wasn't easy driving a tank, before he remembered that the tank has a training AI. He cursed his own stupidity before he accidentally crashed the tank into their jeep and onto the base. He could've sworn he heard another scream among the crashes. Thankfully, Shelia wasn't too badly damaged (though cringed a bit at an orange arm that managed to poke out from the jeep he crashed onto) and he quickly tried to get the Reds to turn off the radio by getting onto theirs. At first, they refused. They had to resort to Plan B, which has Lopez singing a song. After minutes of watching and listening to them writhe in agony of the song, they finally shut it off. Giddy, but also remembering to turn off their radios as well, they headed back to Blue base. He was surprised to see her up and about…but not as much as seeing her crying.

Honestly, he never had a chick crying around him – he just isn't used to that. He looked at Shelia and Lopez for help, but they just shrugged (or wiggled her turret for Shelia). Reluctantly, he went over to her and just held her in – what he hopes – a comforting hug. He was startled that she clinged to him and just _bawled_. He gave an uneasy look to the two machines before he awkwardly rubbed her back.

It took her several minutes to calm down, and they headed to the kitchen.

"Uh…yeah, I mean, I miss home to," Tucker admitted – though, he just didn't want the silence to last. "But, what can you do? We're kind of at war. It sucks though."

"…Yeah, it does," she said, toneless as she finally took a drink from her water.

Well, at least someone agrees. But…there's not much you can do if you were drafted into war. If you refuse, you get sent to jail – he didn't want that, so with great reluctance, he enlisted.

Though, honestly, he expected to and fight aliens or discovering new planets – but after taking a test, he was sent here to this crappy ass canyon. It wasn't bad at first, but that's because Captain Flowers was a good man. It was a shock that he had died in his sleep a couple of days after he was sent here. The next few weeks had been the same thing – spying on the Reds, always wondering what they were doing and trying to capture the flag. And after a while, it got… _boring._ It's the same routine, over and over again. And while they stand around and talk, it got boring as well. And then Caboose and Erica came along.

While it was good to _not_ be bored, it also disrupted the peace that was in the canyon. At times, he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

He sets his drink down. "Do you really believe that ghosts exists?"

"…Huh?" She looked surprised.

"I mean…" he rubbed the back of his head. "A few weeks ago before you and Caboose came here, we had a captain. His name is Butch Flowers. He's a nice guy and all. A couple of days after I was stationed here, though, he just suddenly died in his sleep…over an aspirin overdose."

"…How did that happen?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Fuck if I know," he shrugged. "But even after all of that, he didn't come back as a ghost. And since you guys came along, suddenly Church is a ghost and so is Tex. I don't know about you, but…I'm getting a feeling that they might not be human."

She stared at him for a while. "That's…um… wow."

"Well, that's kind of what I think, anyway," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I mean… I kind of thought of that too." He looked back at her to see if she was bluffing. She didn't look like she's fucking around.

"…Really?"

"Yeah, I mean… we're at war over _flags_," she said. "All we're doing is wasting a bunch of resources over a civil war with no meaning. Just two colored factions fighting each other…over flags."

"Yeah, I get that part," he said, bored.

Erica took in a deep breath and sighed. "What I'm trying to say is… why are we here? We could've just quit whenever we wanted. It's not like we have a place in war or in society. And yet we're picked for a reason we don't understand and then tossed here like a useless toy that no one would want to play with!"

Tucker raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with you all of a sudden?"

She didn't answer for a while. It felt like forever as he waited for her to answer (or not). Then, after glaring holes onto the table, she looked up. "…How would you react when you've met someone who's literally should've been dead by now?"

"…Huh?"

"Lav…" she sighed. "…I'm from the year 2014."

There was silence again, but he was processing what she just said. "…Are you pulling my leg?" He asked, "If you are then-!"

"Why would I lie about this?!" She snapped, slamming her hands onto the table, startling him. "Lavernius, I was just a college student almost finished her two years to get a transfer in credits. I turned 23 a month before, and going through my daily routine! I was lazy, antisocial, and would rather spend most of her time on a computer and video games than to hang out with her family! I was an idiot! An ignorant idiot that didn't realize what she had until it was ripped away!"

She was panting afterwards, for a few moments before she slumped down onto her chair, burying her face onto her arms. For the longest time, he just stared at her. Because, like, holy shit.

"I have no idea why I'm here," she said through her arms. "I'm a nobody. No one with a special skill, average intelligence and…ignorant." She moved her arms. "I want no part of the world… I just…" she buried her face onto the table. "I'm a horrible person."

…Moody much.

Went from anger, to sadness, to emo-y. All women are moody.

Still, that was… one hell of a breakdown. And she's literally someone older than him.

He wasn't exactly sure how to deal with women who are emotional like this. …But at least he was sensible enough not to make any rude comments. But he needed something to cheer her up somehow.

Though, he will be pissed if this will be a normal occurrence. This isn't a reality based drama.

"I, uh…" Tucker started off before he trailed off pathetically. "Well… okay, the world is shitty. I know that," he murmured. "I mean, I'm not exactly an idiot. We all have ways to try to cope with our situation. I know that eventually that I'll die – I just don't want to die as a virgin, you know?"

She looked up at him. "You're a virgin?"

"Well, uh…" Crap. "Uh… L-Look, I know how it works, I can never find a chick who would willingly do it with me."

"…Wow."

"Hey, don't patronize me," Tucker let out.

"No, I'm- I'm just surprised is all," she admitted. "I never expected you to be a virgin, with, you know, all of your talk and stuff."

"Well, maybe you should've try to know us better," Tucker pointed out. "Just because we act like we do on the outside doesn't mean we're like that on the inside. People are weird you know."

She stared at him for a few moments with wide eyes. The female bowed her head for a moment, tucking the part of her hair that's dyed red behind her ear. "…Yeah, I… I guess you're right."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want part of something that's shitty either," the aqua clad man admitted. "It's just… I don't think I'm ready for responsibility that gets thrown at you in the army. You gotta be responsible in places like this, otherwise, people will just treat you like shit. But what responsibilities do you have in this shitty ass canyon? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thinks this civil war thing between the Reds and Blues is bullshit."

She was looking over at him as he spoke, but he continued, "I don't know why we're here, or why you're here, but… I dunno, we should make the times we have count. Live a little. One day you can die and you can't stop it. But what I'm trying to say is…you're not alone, you know."

Once again, there was silence in the room as she stared at him.

Finally, she spoke. "Wow. That's- that was pretty wise."

He shrugged. "Well… I feel that we need to get that out of our system, you know. But, really, if having moments like this will be common in the future, leave me out of it."

"Don't know if I can promise that," she shrugged. "Still… thanks. I needed that."

She then gave her a smile. It wasn't a small smile, or a fake smile or a forced smile… it's a genuine smile.

For some odd reason, he felt his cheeks warm a bit. "Uh… yeah. No problem," he rubbed the back of his head.

"Dude, are you embarrassed?" She had a teasing smile on her face as she tried to lean in.

"Hey! Leave me alone!"

She held up her hands in mock surrender, but she was smirking. "Okay, okay," she said. Then she relaxed and smiled again. "But, really. Thanks Lav."

"Try not to make a habit of it, okay?" He asked her.

"I don't think I can make promises like that," she said. "But…I'll try."

"You better," he wagged his finger, mirthful. He paused a little and leaned in a bit. "So, does this mean we're-?"

"Uup, uup, upp!" She held up her hand swiftly. "Look, just because we had this talk doesn't mean…" she trailed off a bit before sighing. "I don't want to sound mean but… I don't think I'm ready for that kind of relationship. I mean…" she rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "I…never had a boyfriend."

"What?" That was- whoa. She never had a boyfriend? But he thought back to the day she first came here and thought nothing of it at first… but… "You never actually have a boyfriend?"

"I have limited choices where I live…" She admitted tiredly.

"Damn, that must've sucked."

"Tell me about it."

"I mean, it's their loss! You're a hot chick, why can't they see that?" He meant it – she is a pretty chick.

"Well, I wasn't always like this," she admitted. "If you've seen me before I got here, you would probably rethink that."

"Well, does it matter right now?" He asked her.

She thought about it. "I… guess that's a good point."

Still though, it's crazy to not be in a relationship – he went through some himself, but they never lasted long. And Erica's mannerisms aren't like typical girls; she acted more like a guy than a chick. But…she's different. Not like Tex, a mean-bitch different… just… an odd different. Nerdy tomboyish almost. Yeah, that's it.

He rubbed his head a bit. "Well… I guess if you're uncomfortable to go into a relationship, so….," he trailed off a bit. "Uh… we still friends?"

She blinked at him, stared a bit…then smiled. "Yeah. We're friends."

Well…it could be worse. Maybe in time she'll come around. "Yeah. Friends." The two bumped fists, him chuckling and her giggling.

"_Uh…" _They turned their heads simultaneously to the white ghost at the doorframe. He looked between the two. _"Should I ask what's going on here?"_

"Nope," she said. "Just a couple of friends talking. Got a problem?"

Church shrugged. _"Not really."_

"So you guys got rid of O'Malley?" Tucker then asked him.

"_Well… I think we did,"_ Church admitted. _"It took a while to find him in Caboose's mind, and when we did, we shoot and then he disappeared. So did Tex. Now I can't find her anywhere."_

"Does she have a habit of disappearing like that?" The aqua clad man asked.

"_Well… when we were dating, she'd sneak off all the time, but it was usually to sleep with other guys or to spend money that she'd taken out of my wallet,"_ Church admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

He exchanged a look with Erica and back at Church. "…Wow," says Erica, with an odd tone.

"Dude, that is just sad," Tucker admitted, shaking his head.

"_Hey, at least I GOT a girlfriend-"_

"Who you broke up with in the military," Erica cut in.

"_Godammit."_

"Anyway, what was it like in his head?" She suddenly changed the subject. Tucker blinked at her; what?

"_Well… basically, it's fucking weird,"_ Church admitted. _"Almost everyone in there is like some twisted version of the person Caboose had met. Tucker's dumb, Sarge's got a pirate accent, and he got the orange one's armor in the wrong color. The only normal one in there is Caboose."_

"Well that figures," Tucker muttered, a bit pissed.

"Well…what other things are in there?" She asked.

Church looked at her. _"…Well, to him, you're is older twin sister. She's… almost normal."_

"How normal?" She asked.

"_Uh…"_ He trailed off for a moment. _"…As normal as everything is in Cabooseland."_

"…Why do I have a hard time believing you?" She asked with a bit of a tone.

"_Look, I just want to forget about what I went through in his head, all right? Just… shut the fuck up, okay? Thank you!"_ With that, Church turned and left the room.

Another silence went on between them. "…What do you think he went through?" She asked him.

"Fuck if I know," Tucker shrugged. Then a thought occurred to him, and he looked at her. "Wait, if you never had a boyfriend, does that mean that you're a virgin?"

She averted her gaze, but that was answer enough. _'One of these days,' _he thought with a bit of a grin. _'One of these days…'_

_**~o~**_

It's been a few days since O'Malley is chased out of Mikey's head. I'm kind of grateful that Lav didn't tell Church about my breakdown – I don't want an AI snarking on me. Mikey at least recovered… aside from a small bit of amnesia he had on Church. Yeah, he was pretty pissed that it happened, and it took us a while to get my fellow rookie to remember our de-facto leader. It took a couple of days, but he _seems_ to remember Church.

Though, it seems that Tex disappeared this time. She hadn't went back into my helmet in a while – she was probably going around to make sure that O'Malley really is gone. …Or probably trying to find Frank. Hell, I don't know.

There was also the fact that Lopez is now able to repel Church now. That could be the sign that they're going to build their robot army to take us all out (ugh), but… I still feel bad that we can't understand Lopez. Is it possible for them make a translator thing-y to be fitted into your ear to allow you to understand any language? That would be great. So, with the thought in mind, I approached Sheila and Lopez during the few day period.

"Uh… hey, how are you guys doing?" I asked them, feeling _really_ awkward.

They turned to me. "Qué deseas?" Lopez asked me. He seems edgy.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Sheila asked me, looking at me with her cannon.

I cringed a little. "Uh… still on edge for Church, or something?"

"Usted estaba interrumpiendo nuestro momento," Lopez said, crossing his blue arms.

I looked between them. "Uh… maybe I should come back another time," I said – I feel like I was intruding on something.

"Buena idea," Lopez agrees as I turned and left.

But…as I did, I heard something… indescribable behind me. _'Good God, what are they doing?'_ I asked myself. For my sanity, I didn't look back.

I tried again to approach them, but it seems that they were either busy… doing something, or Church tried to possess Lopez again (to no success). I have really, really, _really_ bad timing. So… I decided to approach Sheila. I hope I wasn't too late.

"Uh…. Hey, Sheila," I greeted the tank.

"What do you want now?" She asked me, sounding irritated.

"Uh… sorry for bothering you guys doing… something," I apologized. Though, in morbid curiosity, I looked up at her. "What were you doing anyway?"

"Sorry, but I cannot disclose what we do in privacy," she simply told me.

…My cheeks suddenly felt hot. "Oh… You were- oh, oooh… oh." Now I felt _really_ awkward. "Uh… sorry about that." I looked around. "Say, where's Lopez; I wanna ask him something."

"That depends," Sheila said.

"Look I feel really bad that the rest of us can't understand him, and that only you can," I explained to her. "And… it was our fault that Lopez was attacked by the Reds."

"Oh? So you are saying that it was an accident that it happened?"

"Hey, see if you can live with a leader that bitches at everything every two seconds for three months!" I retorted

"Hmm, I see your point," Sheila conceded. "He is always angry."

"Tell me about it," I sighed as I sat down next to Sheila. "If possible, he should probably go and take some anger management classes. But he's kind of an asshole – I don't think he'll last long."

"What is it that you wanted to ask Lopez?" She asked me. Right, back on topic.

I stood up. "I was actually kind of wondering if he can make something like a translator that could maybe… fit into your ear like a hearing aid… or something. That way, one of us would be able to understand him, instead of having a one sided conversation with him."

Sheila tilted her cannon at me. "A 'hearing aid'? That sounds really old."

"Hey, I'm from the twenty-first century. I have no idea what you guys use!"

"The twenty-first century?" She repeated and I realized my blunder. "Wow… what a sad century you lived in."

"Don't patronize me…" I muttered, feeling depressed.

"All right," the AI chuckled. "I will try."

"Anyway, sorry for leaving you alone for three months," I apologized. "The guys are lazy and… well, I was doing something else. Yeah…"

"Well… you made an effort to apologize…" Sheila trailed off.

"…But not enough to forgive us, huh?" I finished.

"Yup."

"Well, I don't blame you."

I shook my head. "Anyway, if there's a favor that Lopez would like me to do, I'll do it," I said. "I don't want to do this without him getting something in return."

"A cambio de qué?"

"Whoa!" I jumped and turned to the robot behind me. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Soy mágico," Lopez's tone was dipped in sarcasm, then said, "Llegué en un momento."

At that moment, Sheila turned her attention on her lover. "Lopez, she was asking if you could make a translation device to fit in the ear like a 'hearing aid'," she said to him.

Lopez regarded me for a bit then back at her. "Un audífono?" He asked, incredulous. "No es que a partir del siglo XXI?

"She claims to be from the twenty-first century," Sheila told him.

Lopez gave a look at me for a bit. "Demuéstralo."

"Huh?" I intelligently let out.

"Demuestra que eres realmente del siglo XXI," he said.

"What? I- I don't understand…" I tried to explain.

"He wants you to prove that you are from the twenty first century," Sheila told me.

Oh. Uh… that could be a problem. "Well… I would, but I don't have my things with me from that time," I admitted.

"Derecho…" Lopez deadpanned.

"Look, I'm being serious!" I exclaimed. "If I can, I can prove I'm from the twenty first century! I just don't have my things – like my 3DS, my PS Vita…" I trailed off, suddenly missing my small handheld items. Everything here is so god _boring_! I let out a sigh. "This sucks…"

Silence was about us for a moment. Lopez sighed. "Fine. Voy a hacer por usted."

I blinked. "…Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Sí. Si eso te hace ir lejos para un poco," Lopez answered with a bored tone.

It's a good thing that I know a bit of Spanish – 'sí' means 'yes'. "Oh… thank you, thank you, thank you!" I grinned as I shook his hand. "What can I do to repay you?"

Lopez looked over at himself. "…Obtener esta pintura fuera de mí," he said, gesturing to his body. "Para empezar."

Ah.

I nodded. "All right, I'll see what I can do," I said as I began to take the armor pieces off of him. Thankfully they're light right now.

Once I got them off, I stacked them up and carried them to the base. "Later!"

At least I got something to do while I wait. Now I just need to find out how to get the paint off…

_**~o~**_

"Hello!"

I didn't have to turn to see who it was. "Hey Mikey," I said, still focusing on scrubbing the paint off.

I had to do a bit of research to find out on how to get rid of the spray paint. I tried to find the cans but they were hidden pretty well – probably to prevent 'accidents' caused by Mikey. Once I managed to find some, I looked over on how to get rid of it. It didn't help much, so I had to resort to the old fashioned cleaning. I was just lucky that scrubbers are still around.

"Umm… what are you doing?" The lovable blue asked me.

"Cleaning Lopez's armor," I answered, looking over a piece. There's still a freaking spot on it! With a bit of a growl, I scrubbed harder.

"Oh. Um, why are you cleaning his armor?"

"Well, he's doing something for me, and I'm doing this in return for him," I answered. Looking over the armor piece again, it's now spotless. With a satisfying nod, I placed it down to work on another. I still got plenty more to go though. Shit…

"What's he doing?" He gave a next question as I plucked another for me to clean.

"Eh… something," I vaguely answered before proceeded to scrub the living hell out of it. But my arms are getting tired…!

"What are you here for, Mikey?" I asked him while I was scrubbing.

"Um… yeah, uh, Lopez and Sheila have been spending a lot of time together," he said. Oh, right. He fell in love with the AI in the tank.

"Uh huh," I slowly nodded. "Uh… what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well, see if you can talk them out of it," Mikey suggested, sounding a bit mad. "He is not good enough for my Sheila."

…I think it's a good idea not to tell him about what they do when they're alone. "Umm… they… seem to be happy together," I said slowly, trying not to blush.

"He is a bad influence, and he is taking advantage of her, because she is young and naïve… and delicate."

"Delicate in what ways?" I asked him, "I mean… she's a TANK."

"Yes… she is a precious flower," Mikey sighed wistfully.

This is getting awkward. "Uh… I… don't know what to tell you on this matter," I began, uncomfortable. "I don't know how to help you on your situation, Mikey. I'm no expert on love."

"Oh…" Mikey sounded dejected. "…What should I do then?"

I paused to think about it for a bit then resumed scrubbing. "Well… don't be mean to Lopez too much. If anything were to happen to him, Sheila would be sad. I'm not saying you should be uber nice to him – just… not as mean for Sheila to not get mad at you. You don't want her mad at you, would you?"

"Umm… no."

I nodded. "All right then. I think you know what to do."

"Okay," Mikey said before I heard him leaving.

"…I hope I did the right thing," I muttered to myself. Most likely, I probably may have made it worse…

* * *

**(Spanish Translations)**

'Qué deseas?' – 'What do you want?'

'Usted estaba interrumpiendo nuestro momento.' – 'You were interrupting our moment.'

'Bueno idea.' – 'Good idea.'

'A cambio de qué?' – 'In return for what?'

'Soy mágico.' – 'I am magical.'

'Llegué en un momento.' – 'I came in just now.'

'Un audífono? No es que a partir del siglo XXI?' – 'A hearing aid? Isn't that from the twenty first century?'

'Demuéstralo. Demuestra que eres realmente del siglo XXI.' – 'Prove it. Prove that you're really from the twenty first century.'

'Derecho…' – 'Right…'

'Voy a hacer por usted.' – 'I'll make it for you.'

'Sí. Si eso te hace ir lejos para un poco.' – 'Yes. If it'll make you go away for a bit.'

'…Obtener esta pintura fuera de mí. Para empezar.' – '…Get this paint off of me. For starters.'

* * *

**Breakdowns, odd friendships, and a very weird relationship – yup, just a normal day at Blood Gulch. The action is coming back really soon, though. So be prepared. Erica sure as hell ain't prepared for THIS.**

**Leave a review and the poll is still going. It'll end by the end of this month, so vote while you can, please!**


	12. Well That Just Happened

What exactly happened to Erica will be revealed in this chapter. ...That'll depend on how they'll react (and you guys). Here's chapter 12.

**Disclaimer: I own no one.**

* * *

It took a while, but I managed to clean off the armor of the light blue spray paint. It hurts my arms though, but, I hope it was worth it. I decided to be smart and put the armor pieces into a box to make it easier to carry them before I headed out to where the two of them are.

Thankfully, there's no sign of Mikey when I got to them. "Hey guys," I greeted, carefully placing the box down.

"Ya era hora," Lopez said. "¿Qué te llevó?"

"Hey, I had to scrub the living hell out of them, then polish them for good measure!" I retorted, having a guess on what he's saying. "See?" I held up a piece for him to see. I can literally see my reflection on it – and it seems like Lopez can too (and it's weird to see the robot without his helmet).

"Hmm," the robot let out… did he actually sound impressed? "Impresionante."

"Yeah. Uh, yeah," I nodded. "…Do you want me to help you put them on?"

He gave a wordless nod and the two of us went to place the armor back on. It took a lot to convince Sheila that I was just helping her boyfriend, and not feeling him up. I mean- he's a fucking robot, how the hell does that work?

Anyways, it took us a bit – and I was seriously confused by what Lopez was trying to tell me before Sheila directed me right – that we're done. I stood back, admiring my handy work. "There we go! Good as new!" I smiled.

…Huh, now that I noticed it, Lopez is in a Mark VI MJOLNIR armor. Like Tex. Then again, they probably used those to rebuild a body for either Tex or Church in case they lost their previous bodies.

Lopez looked over at himself. "Bueno, al menos yo no estoy en azel más," he commented, nodding to himself.

"I agree," Sheila 'nodded'. "You look much better in brown."

"Uh, right, uh, did you build me that thing?" I asked – I don't want to be around in their alone time.

Lopez seems to catch on and handed me a couple of things. "Aquí."

I looked over at the things in my hand. They do look like a hearing aid. How do I put it in? Into my ear? I nodded and pulled off my helmet and looked over at it. "Okay… like this…?" I put one into my right ear, but… it doesn't feel right.

I heard the robot sigh. "Aquí." He carefully inserted the two pieces into my ears. I barely noticed that they were in there. I heard a 'beep' once they were in for a bit.

"So? Do they work?"

"I dunno," I shrugged a bit- then blinked. I looked over at Lopez. "…Say that again?"

"Do they work?" Words. Actual English words from him.

I gawked at him.

"Well, looks like they do," Lopez said with a bit of mirth.

I still gawked at him before I lifted my hand to point at him. "You… it…uh…"

"It seems her mind has short circuited," Sheila said.

I shook my head. "I- Holy shit, this is… wow," a grin worked its way up my face. "This is- This is amazing! No- more than amazing; fucking badass!"

I giggled like a little girl. I mean… this is fucking awesome!

"It seems she likes it Lopez," Sheila remarked.

"Yeah," Lopez nodded.

I then hugged the robot. "Thanks Lopez! You're awesome!"

"Uh… yeah," I released the robot, hearing him sounding uncomfortable. Then he cleared his throat. "But, you should be careful taking them out. They don't have a protective covering, so they aren't waterproof."

I didn't have to imagine what could happen if I left them in my ears for long. "Got it." I nodded. "Is there something I should know about how to clean it properly?"

"You just had to clean out the ear buds once you pull them out every once in a while," Lopez told me. "Also, you should take them out when you go to sleep, understood?"

"Okay," I nodded. I need to write this down somewhere.

"All right, now what did I tell you?"

"Don't leave them in when you take a shower or go to bed," I stated, "and clean them every once in a while."

"Okay, good," Lopez nodded. "At least you're a bit smarter than most of the people here."

"But…not as smart?"

"Yeah," the robot nodded.

"Ah, that's okay," I shrugged. "No one's perfect – I'm just regular old me." I looked between the two. "Well, I guess I'll leave you guys alone now. The least I can do after bugging you guys for a few days."

"Yeah… I'd like to at least have some peace and quiet with Sheila," Lopez deadpanned.

Yeah, he's mad. "Right… uh, if you'll excuse me," I mumbled as I backed up. "Oh, uh, I should probably warn you: Mikey's kind of jealous of your relationship you guys. So uh… watch out."

With that, I turned and left. "…Should we add her to our list of people to conquer?" Sheila asked the robot.

"Eh… if she attacks we'll have to," Lopez said.

I pretended to not hear that…

_**~o~**_

"Hey, aren't you worried?"

"Huh?" I let out, looking back at Lav as I was making myself lunch. We had gotten a recent order of ramen noodles and I took the chance of making myself ramen. I had to make just one pack, because… well, who knows what might happen today or tomorrow.

The dark skinned man let out a sigh. "Sheila and Lopez talked about making their own robot army," he said. "They said that known would oppose them."

…Uh oh… "…That's not good," I let out, nervous (or trying to sound nervous).

Unfortunately, he noticed it. "C'mon, are we the only ones who noticed just now?"

"Well, sorry!" I retorted, turning my full attention to him. "I'm trying to cook myself some food. You're lucky that I don't eat it in my normal amount."

He raised his eye brow. "…What's your normal amount?"

"Two packs," I answered, turning back to the stove.

"What? Two?" Lav exclaimed in surprise. "Damn, isn't that an overkill?"

"I'm… pretty much a glutton," I admitted with a shrug. "Two packs fills me up."

There was a bit of silence. "…Somehow I doubt that," he said. "But, seriously, I tried to tell them to keep a low profile due to Caboose's jealousy, but they pretty much rebelled, saying that they got blown up, possessed and left to rust-"

"Those were our fault," I said to him.

"Well, I guess, but what the hell were we supposed to do with a busted tank?" He asked me back.

"Hmm…" If Church didn't possess Lopez, he would've gone back to the Reds first thing… or, if he and Sheila fell in love earlier, she might've gone with him to the Reds. …Or maybe go and get eloped. "Well, I guess you made your point," I conceded (mostly to avoid giving myself a headache).

"Yeah, then they said that they're going to build their robot army to conquer us," he added. "No one would dare impose them."

"Yeah, I'd be intimidated too by the tank," I admitted, stirring the pot. If only we had like fish sauce or something. That'd be great…

"I won't dare try to talk them out of it," Lav continued, as I nodded with satisfaction that the noodles and the eggs are done. "Because…yeah."

"Yeah," I nodded, dumping the noodles and eggs into a bowl. Too bad we also don't have chopsticks… Feels weird to use a fork after all of these years. I sat down with my food and… okay, it's a bad habit, but I began to slurp it down. I just automatically done it.

"Uh…" Lav let out, slightly disgusted. "Do you _really_ have to inhale your food?"

After I swallowed, I made a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"So it's a habit of yours to get your food… fast?" He asked next as I ate the eggs and more of the noodles.

"Only when I'm in a rush," I answered, before I drank some of the broth.

After I finished, I wiped my mouth. "Sorry you had to see that," I apologized, before dumping the rest into the sink and cleaned it out.

"Uh…"

"Right, uh, you wanna go out on patrol?" I asked awkwardly.

"…Yeah," he nodded as we both grabbed our helmets to head out.

"Hello!" Mikey greeted us.

"Hey," we greeted back, as the regulation blue guy followed us out.

But, once we did, we heard: "I saw something really weird in the cave that-" We gave each other a look before following the voice towards the source…

…And lo and behold, it's Donut. "Hey, it's that chick from Red Base!" Lav let out.

I narrowed my eyes. Well, everything is going according to how it is in the show. I strode up to him and pointed my gun at his gun. "Okay buddy, hands behind your head and turn around. Slowly."

The guy in pink armor jumped before he quickly did as he was told. "Oh no!" He yelped out.

"Oh yeah," Lav said as I heard a couple of clicks behind me.

"All right, buddy, drop your weapons," I commanded. "Or any weapons you have on you."

"Uh- okay," he let out, nervously – and I feel bad for threatening the guy – as he did so. "Just…don't hurt me, okay?"

"We'll only attack if you attack us," I told him. "Now, let's take you to the brig." I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into our base.

"…Huh, never knew she could take command like that," Lav let out behind me.

"Maybe she's better at this than Church," Mikey mused.

"I'm NOT taking his place!" I called back at them.

"What's that about taking my place?" Church called out.

"Nothing!" We chorused.

A few minutes later, we had to tie Donut to a chair as the three of us kept watch over him.

…It feels weird to do something like this. On the other hand, the brig's handprint scanner could only work for our old captain and his second-in-command (I have no idea WHY that would be for Church. He's an AI), so…we had to improvise.

I just leaned against the wall in boredom as Lav paced in front of Donut. "So, they sent a female assassin to try and kill us," he said curtly. "Clever, but it won't work. We're immune to your feminine wiles…" he stopped and looked over his shoulder at him. "…Unless you wanna date one of us."

"Female!?" I palmed my visor at their stupidity. "I'm not a girl; I just have light red armor."

"Idjit…" I muttered under my breath along with Lav.

Mikey looked over at Donut. "How is that pink armor by the way?" He asked. "It looks _comfortable…_"

"Yeah, it is," Donut nodded. "At first, I really hated it but it's kinda grown on me. My old one used to chafe my thighs somethin' awful." Too much information, Donut. "But the crotch in this pink one is surprisingly roomy!"

I blinked. "…How roomy exactly?" I asked, curious.

"What? Come on!" Lav whined.

"Pretty roomy," Donut said. "At least it wasn't tight."

'…_Oh dear god,'_ I thought with a blush. It's not the end of the second season and he let out an innuendo!

"Why exactly would it be tight there?" Lav then asked, before tapping- I quickly covered my eyes. "I mean… you're a chick, aren't you?"

"I keep telling you, I'm a guy!" Donut insisted.

I can't take much more of this. I sighed through Lav's, 'Well if you are a guy, then prove it!' and moved forward, removing Donut's helmet-

…He looked no older than Caboose, I thought, staring at him dumbly. He has curled blonde hair, bleached from the sun and his face had a farmer's tan…and the right side of his ear has a pretty nasty scar over it. It's all… pale and had cracks along his right cheek.

He blinked his blue eyes at us as we stared. "…What?" He asked.

"…Okay… I feel dumb…" Lav muttered, slumping as Donut's helmet slipped from my fingers.

"What happened to your face?" Mikey asked, poking at it slightly.

"Hey! It stings a little!"

"Sorry!" Mikey quickly drew back his hand hurryingly.

"Ummm…" I looked over at Lav when he made that sound. "I'm, uh, go take a cold shower… Later." He slinked off out of the brig, closing the door behind him.

"…What's with him?" Donut asked.

"Oh, he thinks you were a woman for a long time," I told him. "With that pink armor of yours."

"It's not pink, it's lightish-red," he said.

"Boy, please don't test my patience," I said to him, holding up my hand to forestall any other argument.

I then looked over at my fellow rookie. "Mikey, can you go and get us some chairs?" I asked him. "I guess we're on our own to deal with him."

"Okay," he nodded before he went off to get them.

In the meantime, I went over to him. "Listen, if you do anything funny, I won't hesitant to hit you," I said as I began to untie him. "You know, us being enemies and all."

"Uh… okay then," he nodded.

God, this guy is just too friendly for his own good…

_**~o~**_

"All right so what's your name?" I asked him once we got situated. I gave Donut his helmet back to him, and we sat around in a triangle, me and Mikey facing Donut.

"Well, I'm Franklin Delano Donut," he introduced himself cheerfully. "I haven't been on the Red Team for a while, but I'm having a pretty good time so far." How in the hell does (nearly) getting himself killed a lot of times a 'good time'?

"For how long?" I asked.

"Um, about three months," he shrugged.

"That's sort of like with us then," I nodded. "I guess the three of us are pretty much rookies."

"I guess," Donut said. "So what are your names?"

…Should we tell him? I mean, who knows-

"My name is Michael J Caboose," it seems that Mikey decided for me. He looked at me. "And this is Erica Helms. She usually calls us by nicknames."

"Nicknames? Cool! Do I get one too?" Donut asked eagerly.

…Ah crap.

"Uh… okay…" I let out awkwardly before thinking. Let's see… we already have a 'Frank', as in Doc… Maybe… "Uh… How does… 'Frankie' sound?"

"Frankie?" Donut repeated.

"Yeah. Or, if you would prefer a different name…" I trailed off as I watched him rub his chin.

"…I like it!" He said with a smile in his voice. "Yeah! Frankie!"

…That guy is _way_ too cheerful.

"O…kay, Frankie it is," I slowly let out.

"You know, you seem a lot nicer than you were a few minutes ago," Donut- err, Frankie admitted.

"Well…we're enemies," I pointed out. "We're pretty hostile towards each other, aren't we?"

"Well, you guys seem nicer," Frankie said. "You untied me and talked to me after all."

I shrugged. "You don't seem to be a threat to us," I said. "What were you doing running around anyway?"

"Oh, uh… I'm not sure if I could tell you that," he said, a bit uncomfortable.

I looked around a bit. "…Well, what our leaders doesn't know won't hurt them," I said. "You can just tell the two of us."

"I/He can?" Frankie and Mikey let out as they stared at me.

"Well… yeah," I nodded. Frankie's a nice guy – I don't want him to get into trouble.

He looked over at the two of us for a bit. "Well… okay then," he shrugged. "Me and Grif were doing spy stuff to spy on you guys. He then suggested that I should get to higher ground, and that's what I did. But when I got near a cave, I heard someone talking." Oh, it sounds like Frank's okay. "I sneaked in further and I overheard the doc talking to people." Huh? People? "I saw him talking to this person and I couldn't find the other guy. Anyway, they were talking about causing trouble for all of us… and the other person said that they had to test out the power of someone named 'Zero'."

"Zero?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It got scared and ran out as fast as I could. But… I think I got lost again and ended up at your base."

"What do you mean again?" Mikey asked with a blink.

"When I first got here, I was kind of directed here by this one guy," Frankie explained. "I was at first confused on how he got here so fast since I saw him in a cave, but he was pretty rude. But I met a couple of people who are nice. In fact…" he looked between us. "They look kinda like you guys."

Again, I decided to feign insight. "…Wait, were you the guy in red that took our flag?" I asked him.

"Really?" Mikey let out in surprise.

"Wow! It is you guys!" Frankie let out. "Small world."

"We're in a box canyon," I pointed out. "A _boring_ box canyon."

"Still, I can't believe it's you guys!" Frankie let out with a smile. "You two were one of the nice ones that I met so far."

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Yeah, the other guy is nice and all, but he rammed into Sarge a couple of times in the Warthog," Frankie let out.

I winced a bit. "Ouch…"

"Yeah…." Frankie nodded. "Seems kind of mean of you guys to not take him back."

"Well, our leader and co-leader are assholes" I said as I leaned back. "But…what's a guy gotta do in a canyon filled with mostly jerks?"

"Well… the guys at Red Base _are_ kind of mean," Frankie agreed.

…Wow, it's amazing that we can talk about random shit with this guy.

"Uh…." We looked over at Lav as he stared at us. "…What the hell are you guys doing?"

"…Nothing," we chorused.

"Oh, that reminds me," Frankie dug into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper to hand to Lav. "It's a list of crock pot recipes from my home."

"Uh… thanks?" Lav lamely let out as he took the list from the blonde farmer.

I looked at Mikey. "Do we have a crock pot?"

"Um… I think I traded it out to someone," Mikey said. "It's a mystery box he says."

"What's in it?" Lav asked him, curious.

"One hundred and forty jars of mayonnaise."

"…That's a horrible trade," I said, crossing my arms. "What the hell are we supposed to do with that many mayonnaise?"

"It can be used as a sunscreen," Lav said helpfully.

"…Somehow I doubt that," I muttered.

"_Hey Tucker!"_ Church called out to him.

"Oh, uh, I'll be right back," Lav said to us before he left the room.

Frankie looked over at us. "So what do you guys wanna do?"

Mikey thought about it. "…How about Truth or Dare?"

"Okay then!" Frankie grinned.

Oh god…

_**~o~**_

"Hello, inferior Red Squad!" I just stood there with a bored look as Lav called out to the Reds.

Church, now in Frankie (goddammit) has his wrists tied behind him, stood next to Lav. "We would like to talk to you about-"

"Sneak attack!" Mikey cheered.

"Shut up, you idiot," Church growled. "We're not here to fight, we're here to negotiate."

"Oh, right," Mikey let out as I sighed. "A sneak negotiation!"

"Donut!" Sarge called out. "What is this?"

"I think he's talking to you," Lav whispered to Church.

Church nodded. "We, uh I mean _they,_" I palmed my visor, "would like to negotiate a surrender, to us. No to them, no wait nono that's right, to them, to us."

I looked over at Church. "Dude, you fucking suck."

"Fuck off."

"You can't surrender, Blues, we haven't attacked you!" Simmons then shouted. "Now go home and wait for us to attack, and _then_ you can surrender."

I shook my head. "No way! If anyone would be surrendering, it would be you guys!" I shouted.

"What the hell are you doing?" Church hissed at me.

"What?" The Reds called out.

I boldly stepped out and crossed my arms. "We came here to negotiate a prisoner exchange, Reds. If you want one of your own back, AND your robot, we'd like an exchange for two robots. One for each prisoner!"

The Reds looked over at each other, their heads bobbing.

"…Wait, is that my sniper rifle?" Church asked, just now noticing the gun on my back. Yeah… I snagged it from where Church last put it. I have a feeling I might be using it.

"I'm only borrowing it," I said to him as I pulled it out. "Quit your bitchin'."

"Dammit!" Lav complained. "I was looking for that!"

"Tucker, shut up!"

"C'mon man, I never get to use a fucking sniper rifle!" I continued to watch the Reds as Church and Lav argued behind me. Sarge looked over at Simmons, before Grif suddenly held his helmet and seems to be crying. Simmons then pulled out their own sniper rifle-

"Oww!" Simmons yelped out as I (somehow) managed to shoot it out of his hands.

I lowered the gun. "I only attacked out of defense," I shouted. "Quit your bitching and surrender!"

"…Nice shot," Church commented.

"That was a one-time thing," I admitted. "I don't think I can do it again."

"Oh-ho! Nice!" Lav laughed.

I watched as Sarge seemed to be angry. Simmons said something to him, but the old man shook his head, making Simmons step back in surprise before palming his visor.

"Fine!" Sarge shouted. "We-" He seemed to be grimacing before he uttered something.

"What?" I called out.

"I said, we-!" He cut off again.

I sighed. "Okay, close enough! You surrender!" I shouted. "Now, in exchange for the…" I glanced at Church. "Pink one and your robot, we demand that you build two robots. One for each prisoner we're giving back!"

"Wait, why two?" Lav then asked.

"Well, one for me and…one for Tex," Church admitted.

"What?" Lav exclaimed in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're doing this for Tex! You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"Hey, get off my back man!" Church retorted. "Most dead chicks aren't exactly linin' up to haunt this dirt hole. Besides, if I don't get her a body, she's gonna steal mine anyway…" He grumbled something else under his breath.

"Eh, good point," Lav conceded.

…Why are men so weird?

"Alright, you Blue scum suckers!" Sarge called out- better pay attention. "What robot models did you have in mind?"

"Make them like yours," I called out. "Except, just a hollow shell. No intelligence, no Spanish," I glanced at Church, then back. "And a bigger switch!"

The three Reds talked among each other for a bit before Sarge turned back to me. "Okay, we got a deal," he called out. "Meet us in the center of the canyon at 0600 and we'll make the exchange!"

Tomorrow morning at six a.m. sharp… This will fucking suck.

I sighed. "Okay, BUT! Don't think you can try to scam us by saying that every part of them are optional!"

Sarge seemed startled. "What? Err, I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Right…

I rolled my eyes. "Look, we want ALL of the body parts on those robots! Bitch to your accountants!"

"Okay, this is fucking awkward," Church said. "I'm going to head back to the base so Lopez and Sheila won't get suspicious."

'_Yeah, you're already too late on getting there,'_ I thought as the AI got out of Frankie (and ignoring Frankie's yelps again).

"What the…? Where am I?"

"We're just talking to you buddies, Frankie," I said, heading over to my team. "Anyways, you'll be spending the night at our place for tonight."

"Oh, I am?" Frankie asked. "Cool! It'll be like a sleepover!" _Way_ too cheery for his own good.

"C'mon, Frankie," I said as we began to escort him back-

I had an odd feeling of being watched and looked behind me. I don't see anything, other than the canyon wall. I blinked and followed the others back to the base.

...Though, I can't help but feel that I'm in danger…

In danger of what, exactly? I put it at the back of my mind for now. I've got other things to worry about.

Of course, I wasn't surprised that Sheila and Lopez are gone. "Hey, where'd they go?" Lav let out in surprise.

I patted Mikey on the shoulder. "Mikey, take Frankie to the room he'll be staying in," I told him.

"Okay," he nodded. "C'mon, let's go to my room!"

"Oh boy! This will be _awesome_!" Frankie cheered as they headed inside.

'…_What…have I done?'_ I thought, slightly horrified on what happened.

I shook my head and headed up to Lav and Church, just in time to hear Lav say, "So Shelia and Lopez were just gone when you got back here?"

"_Yep,"_ Church nodded before pointing at the letter tacked on the wall. …And didn't he think it was weird that he's able to understand binary code? It's sighed 'Lopez y Sheila'. _"It says they've gone off to start their own robot army."_

"Well that's great…" I muttered, sarcastic.

"Didn't they have a non-compete clause?" Lav asked.

Church looked back at the letter again. _"It also says they want us to meet them in the middle of the canyon at 0600, to discuss the terms of our defeat…and/or surrender." _He scratched his head._ "0600… What does that mean?"_

"It's a military term for '6 o'clock in the morning'," I explained. "That's around the same time the Reds are supposed to surrender to us."

"_Right,"_ Church nodded. _"I, uh, I knew that."_

"Sure…" I deadpanned. "But, I don't really care."

Lav groaned. "Man, we should get a day planner or something, 'cause this shit's getting ridiculous."

I looked back over my shoulder again, at the cliff wall. Seriously, why can't I get that odd sense of danger to go away?

"You okay?" Lav's voice startled me back to reality.

I looked at him, at the cliff wall, and back at them. "…Hey guys… do you have a feeling that something…bad is going to happen?"

"_I seriously doubt that,"_ Church waved it off. _"O'Malley's gone, and for the first time, we're not the ones surrendering. You're just being paranoid."_

…Honestly, I hope he's right. I looked over my shoulder again. I hope nothing bad would happen tomorrow…besides what's going to happen in the show.

_**~o~**_

I couldn't sleep at all that night. The anxiety that I felt yesterday just wouldn't go away. Am I nervous on what could happen in the morning? I made some slight changes, but not enough.

But… I don't think that's it. I just… have an odd sense of danger. Like… _I'm_ the one in danger – but why?

Sure there was the near death with Omega… but, wait. What about that person that Frankie talked about, the one who talked with O'Malley? The only person who Frankie eavesdropped on was just Frank and O'Malley, talking about sabotaging our equipment. Who are they?

I was so terrified that I just couldn't fall asleep.

Before I knew it, I looked over at the clock. 5:29 A.M.

…Well, no point in going to sleep. With a sigh, I got up from the bed. I had a feeling that we would be gone for a while, so I went ahead to pack up some of the things I might need for our…'trip'. But, I have a feeling that I might lose all of this in the explosion. Still, I'd rather pack all of my stuff to take for what comes next.

After I got my stuff, I wordlessly headed out to get into my armor.

Once I'm in the indigo colored armor, I carried my helmet under my arm as I headed into the kitchen. To my surprise, Lav and Church are already up.

"Hey," Lav greeted me.

I just grunted and sat down heavily in a chair. "Damn, you look like shit," Lav commented to me. "Have you slept at all?"

I sighed. "No."

"Anxious about today?" He asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, before resting my head onto my arms. I didn't bother to put my hair into its usual ponytail, so my hair ended up covering my head.

"…You know, I never noticed your hair before," Lav suddenly spoke up. "I mean… look at all of those curls."

"…_Now that you mentioned it, is all that natural?"_ Comically enough, even Church seemed curious about my hair.

"Guys, leave my hair alone," I muttered. "…And yes, it is natural."

"Huh," Lav let out.

"Is Mikey up yet?" I asked, shifting my head so that my chin is resting on my arms.

"Yeah, and so is the prisoner," Lav said. "I told them to get ready a few minutes ago." Most likely saying their last good-byes (or so they thought).

"They'll come," I assured him.

As if on cue, Mikey and Frankie came in…and I looked over to see the latter crying as the former patted his shoulder. _"…Yeah, I don't think I should ask,"_ Church muttered.

"Me too," Lav said.

"Ah… stop blubbering, you," I said halfheartedly as I got up and patted Frankie on the shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"I-I know!" Frankie let out, sniffling. "But, still… I'll miss the moments we had together…!"

I shook my head with a chuckle as I began to lead Frankie out. "C'mon, Frankie," I said.

"Wait, you even gave our enemy a nickname?!" Church shouted.

"Problem?" I asked. "He's basically harmless."

_"…Well, yeah that's true,"_ Church admitted as Frankie looked back a bit then at us.

"Your leader's a ghost?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah…" I droned out. "A pissed off ghost, but a ghost, nonetheless."

"…That's kind of weird, actually."

"Tell me about it," I nodded.

"It's almost time," Lav then called out. "Let's get moving."

Oh boy…

Trying to calm my beating heart, the five of us proceeded out into the canyon, towards the center where the exchange would take place. I was nervous, to say the least – a lot of events are going to happen today. Omega's attack, the Reds and Blues transporting to different areas, the explosion at Sidewinder…

I looked over at Lav. His head was tilted as if he was listening to something. Must be listening to the Reds chattering…and Grif and Simmons arguing a lot.

I looked over at Mikey and Frankie. The two chatted a bit about something or other.

I looked over at Church. He was already making his way up the cliff to be the eye in the sky for us.

I let out a sigh. I hope everything goes well.

Finally, we made it up the hill…and I looked over to see Lopez and Sheila already there at the other side. Oh boy… I thought with a gulp. This…will not end well.

"That's far enough Frankie!" Mikey warned- wait. What?

I looked over at him. "You're calling him Frankie?" I blinked.

"Yeah, we agreed on that last night!" Frankie said cheerfully. "I call him Mikey and he calls me Frankie! It's nice to have a best friend to call you by a nickname!"

This is…wow. I never thought that this could happen. Everyone just call each other by their last name…

"Huh," I let out, surprised.

"Yeah!" Frankie nodded before rubbing his chin. "Maybe I should come up with nicknames for the guys as well."

"Um… maybe you shouldn't," I said. "I don't think they'd appreciate it."

"Why not?" Mikey asked me.

"Nicknames are kind of reserved for friends," I explained. "And…" I glanced at the Reds and back at them. "I don't think they're 'friend' material."

"Well, I'll try to talk to Sarge about it," Frankie optimistically said. "Maybe he'll warm up to the idea eventually."

"…Somehow I doubt that," I deadpanned.

"Alright, alright, sorry," Lav muttered at that moment. "Initiating primary commencement phase."

We stared at him. "What's he talking about?" Frankie asked.

"We should probably not think much about it," I said.

Lav then turned me around and pushed me a bit. "Okay, Erica, you're up," he said.

"What- why'd I have to be the negotiator?" I asked in surprise- this isn't how it goes!

"You got the Reds to surrender to us, so it'll be better if you're the one to do it," he whispered to me.

…I don't like this… "Ugh… fine," I groaned as I made my way to be seen by all sides. Once I made myself visible, I began to falter. Fuck, my stage fright's kicking in. …And why does it feel like that I have something trained on my head.

"Hurry up!" Lav called out to me.

"All right," I called back irritably. I took in a deep breath. Here we go…

"Hello everyone!" I called out to everyone in the canyon. "We're here to discuss our victory/surrender! But first, we'd like to focus on our victory. Now, we would like for one representative/prisoner from each group to cross sides."

I noticed Grif looking over at Lopez and Sheila, before Lopez shouted, "Lopez the Heavy takes orders from your kind no more!"

Wow… still weird to hear him speaking in English.

I looked over at my team to see Lav talking with Frankie before he nodded. "Okay. Later guys!" He called out as he set off across the field.

"Goodbye, Frankie!" Mikey waved at the pink clad man.

"Wait, 'Frankie'?" Lav asked Mikey.

"Oh that's a nickname Erica gave him," Mikey answered him cheerfully.

Lav looked at me than back at him. "…Is this going to be a common theme or something?"

At that moment: "A robot! They wish to turn our own kind against us!"

"Oh shit," I let out as I looked over at Lopez as he headed towards where Donut and Zanzibar are going to meet up. I quickly ran up to him to intercept him. "Wait, Lopez!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" He demanded.

"Lopez, this is a HUGE misunderstanding," I tried to explain. "We're not going to use the two robots against you!"

"And how would you know that?" He retorted. "For all I know, you're probably tricking me!"

"Why in the hell would I trick you?" I asked back. "I can't hide my intents very well! And we're gonna discuss our surrender with you anyway!"

Lopez crossed his arms at me. "Oh really."

"Yes, really!" I took off my helmet to emphasize my expression. "Lopez, c'mon man, just-"

_I was suddenly cut off when I felt something go through my head to the other side. But… I had realized that just AFTER I fell._

_Oh, I-I was…shot. Am I going to die?_

_Damn… what a one track life-_

My head jerked back at the last moment- just in time to feel something graze my chin before something hits the ground. I stared down in shock at that. "…What… the fuck…?" I breathed out.

"Sweet Selina, what is going on here?!" Sarge suddenly yelled.

"I don't know!" Simmons then cried out.

"That's it, I'm calling in an airstrike!" Sarge shouted. Shit. Shit. SHIT!

"Wait-!" I called out as I turned around, ignoring Lav screaming in pain. This is- What the fuck is going on here?! What-?

"Fuck!" I screamed as I felt something go through my arm. _'Motherfucker it stings!'_

On reflex, I put my hand over my wound and crouched onto the ground and everything is blurred out. What…what the hell is going on here?! Who tried to shot me?

I forced myself to calm down –_ but it's so fucking hard to do so; I was nearly shot in the head!_ – to see the Sarge hollering out war cries as Lav tried to stop the chaos. Soon, even Mikey joined in- and there's just constant screaming and shouting and _its making my fucking head __**hurt!**_

I just happened to look over to see Doc coming over on the Ghost…and further away, I saw future Church arming himself with a rocket launcher.

I took in a deep breath through my teeth and my legs moved on their own, running towards Lav as fast as I could.

I didn't think. I acted.

"I said there's no Red versus Blue! It's all a- HEY!" I shoved Lav out of the way…and I felt something collide with me.

It was a lot worse than the explosion from the grenade. It's hot all over, and I heard myself screaming and I felt myself hit the ground. I saw the ground, the sky and the ground again and the sky before my head collided with something.

My last thought was, _'Why didn't I put my helmet back on?'_ before I blacked out.

_**~o~**_

"…I mean, I dunno, she took a pretty bad hit." ...Whozzat?

"Ugh…" That's basically what I feel like. …Where am I?

"Hey! I think she's waking up!" That voice… isn't that…?

"…Frankie?" I coughed out.

Augh… my right arm is on _fire_. What happened?

I tried to move, but it hurts to do that. "Don't move around so much," Lav? "I mean… you took that hit for me."

Hit? Then my brain suddenly remembered what happened. "Ugh… what's happening?" I managed to get out – my arm feels tingly.

"O'Malley got you is what," Lav told me. "After that, he took off with Lopez while possessing Doc."

"Thanks… for the update…" I grunted as I tried to push myself up. God my head hurts… so does my right arm. …Though, it doesn't feel painful at all.

I was helped to sit up by Lav before I looked around. Church – in Robot Number Two's body – is arguing with the other Reds at the top of their voices…so it looks like we're on the Red's roof.

I let out a sigh. "I feel like shit…"

There was a bit of silence. "…Well, I would say you look like shit, but…"

I blinked at Lav's words and looked at him. "What?"

"Um… how can we say this?" Lav began. "You sort of…"

At that moment, I saw a blue head pop in front of me. "Erica!"

"AH!" I jumped.

"You're okay!" He exclaimed, before gently hugging me. "I had no idea you had superpowers!"

"Super powers?"

"Yeah, as soon as you started to wake up a few minutes ago, your wounds started to heal," Frankie provided helpfully.

…What?

I looked over at my right arm. Though from the way that the armor had been dented horribly by the missle and some of the kelvar burned and torn… I cringed when I managed to find burn marks through some of the holes in it. Tentatively, I poked it. It actually feels like how I'm slowly healing from a burn…from a few accidents (I burn myself getting a pan full of brownies once…and I was also tending to the fire at times). It stings, but not by much, really.

And I slightly touched the back of my head. It feels like I have a…_bruise_ on the back of my head.

I looked over at my hand in shock. "…What the fuck…?"

"Wait, you didn't even know you can do that?" Lav asked.

I just looked up at him and shook my head, just… too shocked for words.

"Huh… that's kind of weird," Frankie let out. Weird, is an understatement.

"…Well, does it matter?" Lav finally spoke up after being silent for a while. "She's alive, isn't she?"

"Yeah, that is true," Frankie nodded.

Desperate to change the subject, I looked back at Church still arguing with the Reds – well, Sarge and Grif, Simmons is working on the teleporter. "What are they arguing about?" I asked.

"Ah, something stupid," Lav shrugged as he moved away to let me sit on my own. "We made the agreement to work together to stop O'Malley and rescue Lopez – well, mostly the Reds on the last part. Then they spent nearly two hours arguing about how ironic this is."

"…That's stupid," I flat out said, pushing myself to stand up. It still kind of hurts.

"That's what I said a few minutes into the argument," Lav agreed before we looked over at the others.

"…Um… are we still talking about Erica's superpower or something else?" Mikey chose that moment to ask.

"Something else, Mikey, something else," I answered.

"Oh."

At that moment, Church raised his hands up. "Okay," he said slowly. "We all agree that while the current situation is not totally ironic, the fact that we have to work together _is odd_ in an unexpected way – that also defies our normal circumstances." He looked over at them a bit. "Is everyone happy with that?"

"Yes," Sarge said.

"About time," Grif grumbled.

Simmons then walked to them. "And I just finished reprogramming our teleporter to take us directly to Lopez and O'Malley's coordinates."

"Very good, soldier," Sarge nodded.

"Thank you, sir!" God, what a kiss ass…

"However," Sarge then crossed his arms, "in case that each team wouldn't trick anyone and try to take over the canyon… we'll leave one member of each team here. Our man will be Donut."

I looked over at Sheila and back at them. "What does that make Sheila then? She and Lopez are their own 'team' aren't they?" I questioned.

They looked over at me. "What the-? weren't you practically dead back there?" Grif asked me.

"Uh…."

"Erica's got a superpower!" Mikey exclaimed. "She healed really fast! It's kinda neat!"

"What's so neat about seeing your body heal itself from a horrific wound?!" I shouted. "It's fucking creepy!"

"…I actually had to agree with her," Grif said.

Church groaned. "Look, I don't care how fast you can heal; you're staying here."

"No way!" I crossed my arms. "I've played 'diplomat' for you guys twice in two days! I want piece of the action!"

"**No.**"

"Oh come on!" I complained. "Please?"

"NO!"

"C'mon, I don't want to be left here with a guy and a fucking tank that can kill me before I can blink!" I exclaimed. Then I muttered, "Even if said guy wears pink…"

"You'll be fine," Church said sternly. "Which is why we're leaving you here as well."

"What are you, my mom? You can't just decide what I should do!"

"I'm your leader!"

"No you aren't; our real leader died," I pointed out. "You may hold his title, but that doesn't mean shit."

"Oooh!" Lav let out, as if Church had got burned…which he did, as he groaned in annoyance.

"I gotta admit, that was a good burn," Grif let out.

"Don't encourage the enemy!" Sarge ordered him.

"Okay! Fine! We'll leave Tucker here," Church decided.

"What? That's bullshit!" Lav complained.

"Listen man, you guys annoy me but you two are the only ones that are remotely smart compared to Caboose here," Church explained to him. "It'll be better if you stay here."

"Yeah, but you'll be leaving her with another guy!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Church said dismissibly. In a way he's right – Sarge wouldn't hurt a girl; Simmons is afraid of girls; and Grif…well, he's lazy.

"Yeah, I think I can take care of myself," I assured him.

"Right…" Lav muttered.

With the issue settled, Church looked over at us. "Alright, we're gonna do this one at a time then. You first, Sarge."

Sarge raised his shotgun, and I can hear the grin in his voice as he declared, "Today seems like a good day to teleport! Geronimo!" And off he went into the teleporter.

"Piscataway!" Mikey cried out as he followed the old man.

Church turned to me. "Okay, now go with Simmons."

"What?" The maroon man cried out in a high pitched voice.

I ignored it and nodded. "Okay."

Simmons sighed and walked to the teleporter before he paused. "Hmm…." He let out, looking around.

"What's wrong?" Grif asked.

"I dunno," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "I just had a really weird feeling that I'm never gonna see this place again." Nope. You'll see this place again after a while.

Oh yeah, that reminds me.

I picked up my helmet and headed to Lav. "Hey, can I ask a quick favor?"

"What?"

"If you see Tex, can you tell her to go to my room?" I asked him. "I packed some stuff."

Lav stared at me. "What stuff? Are you going somewhere?"

"Well, sort of, but no," I said. "Just tell her that, okay?"

He sighed. "Fine…"

I nodded. "Thanks." I placed my helmet on and headed back to Simmons. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Um… right," I blinked when I heard his voice crack a bit before he ran into the teleporter.

I hesitated. What would I expect if I go through it? Is…is it gonna hurt?

I shook my head with a sigh. "Here goes nothing…" I muttered before I ran through-

A bright flash went through my eyes, and I saw a colorful array of lights that shot by me in a tunnel. I couldn't blink, my eyes wide as all of them flash by me at a speed I couldn't even fathom. My hands reached out towards the light-

-and I fell on the ground, face first. I pushed myself up and shuddered. "Never again…" I muttered. That was… a very _weird_ experience. I…how long had I been through there?! Is that what Lav and Mikey experienced? Traveling at a near speed of light?

Then I cursed to myself after I remembered that I had to go through it again. "Are… you all right?"

"Huh?" I let out as I looked up at Simmons who spoke. "Uh… this is my first time," I admitted.

"Oh, um, yeah," the man muttered a bit before we looked around.

We're in that place with a lot of corridors filled with glowing teleporters. As I stood up, I asked, "Uh… where are we?"

"I dunno," Simmons said. "But… the bigger question is… where is everybody?"

I looked around as well. It was just me and Simmons in here.

I looked ahead. "Uh oh."

* * *

**(Spanish translations: last time. Hopefully.)**

'Ya era hora. ¿Qué te llevó?' – 'About time. What took you?'

'Impresionante' – 'Impressive'

'Bueno, al menos yo no estoy en azel más.' – 'Well, at least I'm not in blue anymore.'

'Aquí' – 'Here'

* * *

**And so ends season two...and begin season three. It seems that Erica is targeted...but by who? Would she really survive what's to come? Well... maybe, but her mentality probably won't.**

**And the poll is done. I got like... three votes. That's just pathetic; but, there's not a lot of people who read stories like these. Pretty soon, Church will have his own nickname! Anyways...**

**Leave a review, and have a good day!**


	13. Scary Things Are Coming

Hrm... not exactly proud of this chapter, but... it had to be done. Plus, I wanted to show one of my OCs. Here you go.

**Disclaimer: I own none of them except for my OCs. (And is it really okay for me to put the disclaimers down? You guys already know by now...)**

* * *

"Hello?" Simmons called out as he and the woman wondered around a bit, looking around. This place is huge! He never thought that the place would be connected to the canyon. "Hello?" He called out again as he looked into another corridor.

"Where is everyone?" The woman asked as she helped him look.

He looked back at her. "I dunno," he admitted before they wondered further. After a while of walking, he sighed. "My guess is that we all got separated in the teleporter."

"Well that sucks," the woman grumbled. "The others could've be anywhere!"

He shifted away from her a bit. "Uh… yeah," he mumbled, then said aloud, "Why don't you go further ahead a bit? I should try to contact Sarge."

"…Right," the woman let out, shaking her head before doing as he asked.

Simmons shuddered – girls always scares him. With her safely away, he turned on his radio com-link in his helmet. "Sarge, this is Simmons 2.0," he called in. "Apparently your plan to chase Lopez and Doc has failed miserably. We appear to be stuck in some kind of nexus of teleporters which could take us anywhere in the Universe…" He looked around again. "Or it's a janitor's closet, hell, I don't fucking know…" He waited a beat, but he only heard static. "Sarge, are you there? Sarge!" Still static.

He let out a sigh and turned it off. "Dammit…" This day isn't going well at all.

They were left baffled yesterday when they were forced to surrender…by a _woman_ of all things. For someone who was supposed to be 'nice' she's pretty…aggressive. And though she's a Blue, Sarge just refused to hurt her (leaving him slightly exasperated at that) before they had to yield to her demands. …Reluctantly.

It took Sarge all night to build the two robots – one with the fancy name, Francisco Montague Zanzibar and the other with the plan name, Robot #2. And while he was gleeful that Sarge put in something that will make the robot hit Grif whenever the word 'dirtbag' is used, and that one of them has a microphone in it… he was shocked that Sarge also put a ten megaton bomb in another; that could end up making Blood Gulch into a giant fucking crater! It'll take every single one of them out! Hopefully, that…probably won't happen – though, he was starting to question his ways. Only a little.

The exchange at 6 nearly went off without a hitch…until Lopez tried to run up to them, and the woman intercepted him. The bafflement just continued to grow as she… _talked_ with Lopez. Like, she was somehow able to understand him.

That was until she was nearly shot in the head. That startled not only him, but the rest of them (the woman included).

Simmons was torn between watching his CO, to the woman holding her arm in pain, and to the aqua colored Blue holding his head in pain. Then it seemed that there was paper coming out of his ass until Sarge informed them that Red Command disconnected on them, leading to the screaming and yelling fest…and he could've sworn that the other Blue was trying to tell them something.

…That was until the woman pushed him out of the way, and she ending up taking a blast meant for him. He didn't see what happened to her, but he and the others were too busy panicking when a purple… _thing_ came flying in! It was also piloted by Doc, but… he was acting strange for some reason.

It was after Doc and Lopez disappeared into the teleporter that the conscious Blues explained to them: Doc is possessed by a rough AI calling himself 'O'Malley', and he was originally used by the chick in black before she…went up in smoke.

Of course, it became a (rather) ridiculous argument about what's ironic that lasted for two hours – like when they were arguing about the conditions of the Blue's surrender some days back – but he didn't get himself involved. He had to fix the teleporter to get to Lopez and Doc.

But just when he got done, the woman woke up and was miraculously healed! She had a bit of an argument with her leader (and man, what disrespect) before he was convinced to let her go. …He didn't expect to be paired with _her_ – and women terrify him! He always has been since growing up!

…Most of it was his father's fault, but still!

"Hey."

Simmons let out a scream as he jumped back in shock.

"Whoa!" The woman jumped back in surprise. "What? What's wrong?"

He had to make himself not hyperventilating (but he's failing horribly) as he backed up a bit. "Don't-Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Uh… okay, but seriously, what the hell was that about?"

"About what?" His voice sounded higher (and oh shit, he's having a panic attack).

"About- hey, are… are you okay?" She asked him, tilting her head at him.

Simmons' eyes shifted under his helmet. "Uh… o-of course I'm okay! Why are you asking that, Blue?"

"Dude… you're kind of talking funny," she said. She cautiously stepped forward. "Are you sure you're okay-?"

"Don't come near me!" He yelped out, backing up a lot.

She stared at him for a while. "…Hey, I don't bite," she said.

Yeah right… that's what they all say. "Yeah, sure, why should I trust a Blue? A _female_ Blue at that!"

"What's your problem with girls anyway?" She asked with a tone- oh, he felt that he's in trouble.

He cleared his throat – nearly coughing – before he tried to sound gruff. "Nothing. Even though we called a temporary truce, we're still enemies, aren't we?"

She stared at him for a bit.

…She won't stop staring.

He started to fidget as she continued to stare at him.

Why won't she stop staring?!

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed, unnerved now.

She jumped. "Whoa! What?" She sounded…absentminded right there.

"Were you even listening to me?" He asked, sounding a little peeved – it's bad enough that he has to deal with Grif on a regular basis, but to be ignored by a chick? That is a new level of low.

"What?" She sounded surprised, then she perked a bit. "Oh! You mean about our temporary truce? Yeah, I was thinking about it actually. Uh… sorry for staring."

…What is with this chick? She doesn't realize she stares at people when she's thinking of something?

Simmons shook his head. "Listen, we still have to find our comrades," he said. "Not… screwing around in here. Just be quiet and let's just find them!"

"Okay, okay," she held up her hands. "No need to bite my head off there, dude. But if we're working together, you should at LEAST know my name." Simmons rolled his eyes.

Right, he thought sarcastically.

She held out her hand. "I'm Erica. You?"

He eyed her warily for a moment before he reluctantly took her hand. "…Simmons," he mumbled, nervous.

…That was actually the first time he touched a female…

"And your first name?" She then asked.

"Uh… Dick," he answered.

She stared at him. "…Really? Your name is Dick?"

"What's wrong with it?" He asked, feeling a bit offended as they let go.

"Um… no offense, but whenever I speak or think of your name, I'm reminded of a certain part of the male anatomy."

Seriously, how come that's the first thing _everybody_ asks?! It's not his fault that he was named 'Dick'!

She then looked over at him for a bit…but she looked…thoughtful. "…What?" He asked.

"…Hmm… Um… I've got a question," she said. "Is there another name that's also… similar to 'Dick'?"

"Uh…" That's… an odd question. "…Richard?"

She nodded. "Okay, then I'll just call you "Richie – or some other nickname you prefer."

It was his turn to stare at her. "…'Richie'?"

"I dunno, that's the best I can come up with," she admitted. "I could probably think of a nickname for you."

"Just… call me Simmons," he said meekly.

"Nope, I figured that it would be fair to maybe call everyone by their first names. I mean," she shrugged again, "I've been used to it for so many years."

…She is, by far, the strangest woman he had met so far.

"J-Just focus on trying to find the others," he said.

She shrugged. "Well, we've seen nothing but corridors and portals so far. So unless we go to one and stumble across them by accident, we're kind of shit out of luck."

Great. He honestly wanted to get away from this woman as soon as possible. …Or at the very least, be in a company of a man so he can put them between him and her.

He winced. _'Goddammit Donut!'_ His accidental innuendos are rubbing off on him! In order to save himself from further embarrassment, he looked around and settled on the one near them.

"Okay, I'm going to try something," he said. "Just…be quiet and let me work or something."

"Okay, okay, no need to get your panties in a wad," she said and stood off to the side.

Well, at least that worked. With a sigh, he sets to work. Maybe his new cyborg brain can come in handy here…

_**~o~**_

I just stared up at the ceiling, bored out of my mind. It's only been a few minutes since Simmons (I still have no idea what to nickname the man) had worked on the portal. In all honesty, I was kind of nervous. What if this portal doesn't have Sarge and Mikey on the other side on Battle Creek where those Zealots are? What if it lead to some weird place that we both have no idea about?

I mean… parts have been derailed and someone is trying to kill me back there. Frankie mentioned Omega talking with someone about testing 'zero'…

Man, this is getting confusing as this goes on…

"Okay, I think I got it," Simmons said as he plugged something in. I looked into the portal-

And we saw a monster of sorts on the other end. It looked over at us and roared.

We screamed in terror as Simmons quickly unplugged it. The image turned blank.

The two of us panted to calm our quickly beating hearts. We gave each other a look – we're both terrified of what's beyond the portals… but we need to find the others. We know it, and though we didn't like it, but… we have to.

"L-Let's try the others," I stuttered, still shaken.

"Y-Yeah," Simmons hesitantly nodded.

Hopefully, we'll find the right one.

_Sometime later…_

I was terrified.

I was horrified.

There are so many words that I could describe our experience right now.

The portals that we found so far contained so many things that I don't even want to describe. They could very well haunt me forever in my nightmares.

I have no idea how many times we had to quickly flee for our lives after Simmons turned off the portal. I lost track when I tried _desperately_ to find a way to get rid of…what I've seen beforehand out of my mind.

I was literally at the edge as Simmons fiddled with another portal. I was twitching and trembling.

How much longer am I going to take this? It's one insanity after the other!

'_Please let this be the right one, please let this be the right one, PLEASE let this be the right one…!'_ I chanted in my mind many times as Simmons worked on it.

As Simmons held the two cables, he hesitated (and I don't blame him) before he plugged them in. The portal came to life… and gun fire was heard. And a shout – a familiar shout.

"Caboose, Caboose, keep them away from me!"

I had never felt so relieved to hear that southern accent from a slightly crazy old man. I looked in to see Sarge and Mikey defending themselves from the Reds and Blues from Battle Creek.

I knew I was stating the obvious, but I still asked, "Is that Sarge and Mikey?"

Simmons let out a relieved laugh. "Yeah! It's them! At least, I hope so."

Again, I don't blame him. Still, we watched.

"And that one! No, no, the one with the limp!" Sarge commanded. "Get 'im!"

"Yeah, that's Sarge" Simmons nodded before calling out, "Sarge, can you hear me?"

Mikey was shooting all over the place, and sometimes getting the person he needed, shouting, "I don't want to kill… but, I don't want to die even more!"

It's still a relief hearing his voice. "Hey yo! Mikey! Can you hear me?"

Mikey turned to Sarge. "Uh, why do you sound like a girl Sergeant?"

"Wha?" Sarge sputtered (and I held back a chuckle) and managed to kill off the other guy before turning to Mikey fully. "I didn't say anything, numbnuts," he scolded.

Mikey looked around. "Oh, they're asleep again," he noted as if he just noticed the dead bodies.

Yup, that's him all right.

"…What the fuck is wrong with him?" Simmons asked.

"Uh… he got severe brain damage from a rouge AI," I answered – Church, Tex and Omega really caused a mess in his head…

"Uh-huh," he nodded. Ass.

Sarge looked around. "Caboose, we have to break this never-ending cycle of attack and retaliation," he said before holding up his fingers, "either A) convincing the two sides to live in peace," probably possible, but probably not, "or B) by getting ourselves _completely_ involved and kicking some serious ass!" He then nodded as if he decided on something. "I vote B."

"And what the hell is wrong with him?" I blankly asked. I know, but still, I wonder.

"Hey, nothing's wrong with him!" Simmons protested. I just gave him a blank look. "…Well, okay, he said that he denied retirement for a few times in his years of service."

I hummed. "I would've gone crazy as well."

Mikey, after looking around for a bit, perked up. "I have a plan, Sergeant," he said. "But we will have to move quickly. Listen…" he stepped up to Sarge. "Whisper, whisper, whisper…" He backed up. "Do you think that would work?"

Sarge just stared at him (and so did we). "That's your plan?" He asked, confused. "All you said was 'whisper, whisper, whisper.'"

"I know," Mikey said, sounding depressed. "I wanted to be the one with the plan this time."

Sarge palmed his visor with a sigh. "Come on, I have an idea," he said, walking off and dragging Mikey with him.

I let out a sigh. "At least those two are okay," I said, sliding to the ground.

"Yeah," Simmons agreed. "Anyway, I better work on this. You keep a watch out for something… I dunno, weird."

"Okay," I said as I sat on the ground – I've been doing nothing but stand around the whole time. Plus, I'm useless with technology, so I'm no help there.

So for the time, I kept an eye out for whatever's weird. It was boring, sure but… what use do I have here? And from my initial observation, Simmons seems…terrified of me. But why? I didn't do a thing to him, did I?

…Well, other than shooting that sniper rifle from his hand. And that's just it.

Again, though, I don't have a mean bone in my body, so I won't pester him…too much. I don't know; I can't predict the future.

Still though, Wyoming would be coming along to try to kill Tucker at first and then go missing for a while. I feel kind of bad for Phil…

Poor Phil.

Still… since this is real, how graphic would Mikey be when he beats the crap out of the Reds and Blues of Battle Creek? I mean, somehow they revive themselves when they listen to Reveille and kill each other for the hell of it. A cycle of death and rebirth…what the hell are they phoenixes? Not to mention that they're more stupid than some of the guys in Blood Gulch.

…Though, in general, most of them are dumb.

"Hey, uh… Blue Girl!" Blue Girl? Why that-!

I held back a sigh as I sat up and looked over at Simmons. "What do you want?" I asked – and my tone sounded annoyed.

Of course, he ignored me. That was fine, I got used to it- He held up two wires. "Okay, I just need you to hold these together for a while, I'm going to try something."

I blinked but did as I was told. "Uh… okay, but what are you…?"

The image from the teleporter showed up-

"Jesus H Christ!" I yelped out as we saw Mikey's rampage… and it was actually…_horrifying_.

In the show, he just punches a few people before snagging a sniper rifle to shot the others in a line… but _this_… This is…

God, and here I thought Elfen Lied is gruesome at scenes like this.

It's just… too horrifying to describe.

"…stavo! What's…ing on do… e?" I heard a voice cracking through the portal…and sure enough, it focused on Sarge (who is probably just as horrified as I was).

"Sarge, Caboose, can you hear me?" Simmons called out into the portal.

Sarge turned to us. "Simmons 2.0?"

"Yes, it's me, Sir," Simmons nodded. "I reconfigured the teleporter to allow me to communicate with you."

Sarge looked over at me for a moment and back at him. "Did the Blue do anything to you?"

"Well… no," Simmons said. "She left me alone for the most part."

"Uh huh…"

"Anyways, I need to get you guys outta there."

"Damn right we need to get out of here!"

"Okay, just get to the nearest teleporter and I'll see what I can do from here," Simmons said.

Sarge stared at him and at the direction of the Battle Creek Blue Base and back at him. "Goddammit…" He grumbled. He then sighed. "Okay, see if you can do it at the Blue Base. It's nearer."

"O…kay…" Simmons let out slowly, "I'll see what I can do."

"Okay."

"And Sarge?" Seriously Simmons?

"Yeah?"

"It's really great to see you again," he said, sounding relieved.

"Oh kiss my ass some other time," Sarge said, sounding annoyed.

"Whatever you say, Sir," Simmons nodded obediently before Sarge quickly left.

I looked over at Simmons as he began to quickly (yet carefully) set up the teleporter. "…You do realize we've been separated for a couple of hours, right?"

"Shut up and help me," Simmons said, annoyed (at least he isn't stuttering).

"Uh… sure," I let out. Oh shit. "What do I do?"

"Keep holding those wires," he said. Oh thank god…

"Okay," I nodded.

"Hurry up, Simmons!" Sarge exclaimed from the teleporter (which has both Sarge and Caboose on the other side).

"Just give me a _few more_ seconds over here, Sarge," the maroon man said.

"**We don't **_**have **_**a few more seconds!**" Sarge shouted.

"Stop pressuring me!" Simmons whined. "I rely on you for love and support!"

Bad choice, I thought in boredom.

I watched Simmons as he quickly worked and then shouted, "Okay, there, come through now!"

"Huh-?" I let out before Mikey came through, followed by Sarge (who was pushing him through) and they both tripped over Simmons and crashed into me. The floor was not comfortable…especially if you got three men on you.

"Urgh… Get off!" I managed to get out, as I tried to shove one of them off me. Keyword _tried_ – my arm strength is still pathetic.

Fortunately, the three men got off of me and sat on the floor, leaving me groaning.

"Simmons, you get an 'F' in efficiency," I hear Sarge scowl at Simmons for a moment, then added, impressed, "But I have to give you an A+ in dramatic timing."

I pushed myself up and I blinked when I noticed the faces of the Reds for the first time. Sarge has black hair greying in some areas, parts of his face rugged like my dad's after shaving, and he has grey eyes. Simmons, meanwhile, has some a bit of an orange color for hair (strawberry blonde?) and… parts of him looked like they were taken and replaced by robotic parts, like that cybernetic red eye on his left and a green eye on the right.

Simmons, however, is a bit paler than Sarge (who has a tan like Frankie). Makes me wonder how dark Grif is.

Mikey then got up. "What happened?" He asked (and his voice sounded hoarse). "The last thing I remember was a very mean kitten…" he looked around as Sarge and I stared at him. "And now we're in the janitor's closet-" He coughed a bit. "And now my throat hurts… a lot…"

"Uh… you were probably dreaming, Mikey," I slowly said. "Just… wait for a bit until we can get you some water, okay?"

"Okay."

"What _was_ that weird place, Sarge?"

"Simmons, I have absolutely no idea," Sarge replied before we all stood up. "C'mon, I don't want to be anywhere near that damn thing!" With that, we were gently shoved away from the teleporter and towards another direction.

_**~o~**_

I sat away from the Reds and Mikey for a while, letting things run their course as I sat on a nearby wall. I'm relieved that Sarge and Mikey are okay… but I'm still kind of worried for the others.

Church and Grif are captured by the Reds of Sidewinder, and meanwhile, Frankie, Lav and Tex are still at Blood Gulch – I'm glad that Lav is okay (but the blast still hurts like a bitch) but now he's probably has Wyoming on his ass. But… there are a few things I need to figure out.

I'll admit, I have my own theories about what may have happened during the time when Project Freelancer went to hell, and before the Blood Gulch Chronicles…but there are a couple of things that I don't know as well. How long has Wash been in rehab (or interrogated) after the Epsilon incident; did Tex really kill all of the Blues at Sidewinder; and how long as the men been in that canyon?

It's not like I can come up to Sarge and ask – he doesn't trust me because, and I quote, 'You are a stinkin' Blue! I'd rather get ate up by a Brute than be buddies!'

…Not exactly how I would phrase Sarge, but I think that's the general idea on his, um, mindset.

But, to be honest, I'm a bit terrified of what could happen next. There's no way that Church can stop the explosion (no matter how many clones he has) and there's the factor that all of us could be badly hurt by the explosion. Even with this armor, I'll bet that even they can be damaged very badly. Even _with_ the energy shields around them.

In the show, the men are moved to Sandtrap to find an energy signature, but they all believed that they were blasted into the future (hah) and moved to another area. It's not like we would have the requirements on getting that Monitor, but… why would I help Project Freelancer? It was the Director's fault that everything had gone to hell… but, on the other hand, I also pity the man.

Still… why do I feel as if something isn't right? I know that the project had done some shady things but-

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw something flash. "Hm?"

I looked over at the source. It seemed to be…coming from that corridor. I looked back at the three men (who seemed to still be talking) before I stood up to investigate.

As I walked, I followed the light that seemed to be getting brighter by the second. Either it means I'm getting pretty close, or…something's happening. I don't know what. I got out of the corridor, where the light seemed to be the strongest-

My heart started to pound, and I quickly stayed behind the corner, slightly peeking out. The teleporter is sparking and glowing and… I don't know why but I feel terrified for some reason. I stood back to watch the teleporter as it continued to do its…weirdness-

"Erica?"

I screamed and turned-

Mikey tilted his head as Simmons fell back in surprise and Sarge jumped. "What are you doing?"

I panted a bit to calm my heart but… I feel a bit hysterical. "Guys, what the fuck are you doing here?" I whispered.

"Caboose saw you leavin' a bit ago," Sarge answered.

"He said that you have a habit of leaving for a while," Simmons added. He tilted his head. "What's that about?"

"Guys, shush!" I hissed.

"Why are we whispering?" Mikey asked in a loud whisper.

Simmons looked behind me. "And what's up with the portal?"

"It must be Donut!" Sarge let out. "He must've fixed up the teleporter! Let's-"

I stood in front of him. "No! You can't go out there!"

"And why not?" Sarge asked me, suspiciously.

I…don't really have an answer. But… I have a pretty bad sense of dread in me if we go into the room. "I…I just have a bad feeling," I said. "I can't really explain it, but-"

"Listen little lady, it'll be a cold day in hell if I _ever_ listen to the advice from a Blue," Sarge cut me off. "So I ain't starting now to-"

"Uh oh," Mikey suddenly let out before he pushed us all back into the corridor. We all gave startled yelps at that, and I was about to ask what' up…until I noticed how intense the teleporter had gotten.

"Uh… something tells me that it isn't Donut, sir," Simmons nervously said.

"Hmm… I see your point," Sarge conceded.

And just when I think that the teleporter might explode – I dunno if it's possible to happen, but with all of that electricity… Yeah – from all of the electricity and the light wouldn't get more intense, forcing us to cover our eyes and I unconsciously braced myself…

…And nothing happened.

I opened my eyes. The teleporter looked…okay. Like what we just witnessed didn't occur at all.

"…Well that was… uh…," I trailed off, trying to find the word for it.

"Anti-climactic?" Simmons suggested.

"Yeah, that," I nodded. "I was kind of-"

Then it flashed again.

"Oh, spoke too soon," I said before…someone emerged.

…Who the hell is that?

The person has red armor on, but the helmet is different… and they have black accents on the armor. The person looked around a bit, with an odd gun and something clipped to their hip. Soon, they lowered their stance with a grunt.

"…Who's that?" Simmons whispered to us.

"No idea…" I looked over at Sarge. Huh…even he is on edge with this person, despite the person have red colored armor.

The person removed their helmet. It was… a woman with long, wavy red hair and…amber eyes? Well, whoever she is, she looked… gorgeous; in an odd kind of way, I guess. She flicked her hair back before she pressed something on her wrist after putting away her weapon. A screen of sorts appeared, and some sort of…stuff appeared. She pressed a few things on the holo-screen. "Hmm… it seems I can't get a connection in here," she murmured. "Something in this place must have an odd effect on electronics…" she let out a sigh. "Then I'll have to look for Zero somewhere in here. She left with the maroon simulation trooper, so it shouldn't be too hard…"

She placed her helmet back on before she went down the corridor opposite of us. Once we were sure she's gone, we stepped out. "Who…was that?" I asked, completely unnerved.

Sarge grunted in thought. "Well… it's fairly obvious that she's not a Red," he said.

Even Mikey looked over at him in surprise. "What makes you say that, Sarge?" Simmons pretty much took the words out of my mouth.

"I can feel that aura radiating off of her," Sarge said, and- holy shit, he's freakin' serious. "The unpleasant aura that I would usually feel whenever I face the aliens back in my days of war."

"You mean when you were an ODST?" Simmons asked him.

"Yes," Sarge nodded. "She could be just as, or more, dangerous than that woman in black armor."

I felt as if my blood is ice. Someone… more dangerous than Tex? That is… "Oh my God…"

Sarge turned to Simmons. "Simmons, we need to find that other armor, stat!" He said. "We know where the other is, so get ready to prep the teleporter once we find the other one."

I blinked at him. So they already found out that the listening device is in the robot Tex is in? So-

Oh dear God.

I opened my mouth to warn them- until I saw Mikey holding onto the remote control with one button pressed in already… and the other button is…

"Yay! More button pushing!" Mikey cheered.

"Caboose don't touch that!" Simmons called out. When did he get it?

"This is the button to find Church!" The blue soldier exclaimed.

"Mikey, wait don't-!" I called out- but he pressed it. Oh shit.

"Uh oh," Sarge just said.

Oh shit.

"Did he just do what I think he did?" Simmons asked.

Shit.

"Church is going to be so happy with me!" Mikey, completely oblivious to our worry, beamed.

I palmed my face. Just… great.

"This… will not end well…" I muttered. I'm not looking forward to Sidewinder.

I felt eyes on me before Simmons said, "It looks like the signal is coming from… Sidewinder."

"Sidewinder? Why I haven't been there since… ever," Sarge said.

Well, there has been hints but… ah, fuck it. I just want to get this other with.

I looked over at Simmons, tired. "Can you get a portal to Sidewinder ready? I don't want to hang around here any longer." I looked back. "Especially with…her around."

Sarge grunted.

"Okay, but let's get away from here first," Simmons said.

"Okay men," Sarge said then looked at me and Mikey, "and Blues, let's go."

"Okay," we both said.

As we began to quietly leave the chamber, I looked back at where we spotted that woman. I replayed what she said in my head. She's looking for Zero…

Zero…

I jerked. Wait.

"_She left with the maroon simulation trooper, so it shouldn't be too hard to find…"_

Maroon… that's Simmons. And I have a tattoo on my shoulder with the number zeros.

Then… does that mean…

She's looking for _me_?

Why?

She doesn't look like a Freelancer – something told me she isn't. Tex replaced Carolina as number one in the leader board, and Sarge said that the woman is probably just as or more dangerous than Tex.

If that's true then…

All of us are _screwed_.

I'm glad that my helmet is on – I think my face had gone pale and I don't want the others to see that.

Hopefully, we won't run into her again once we're at Sidewinder.

…But why do I feel as if our troubles have just begun?

* * *

**Hmmm.. why indeed? Season 13 is coming soon. ... I'm not sure if I'm ready for it.**

**And seriously, what am I going to call Simmons? I know what I'm going to call Grif, but why is coming up with a nickname for Simmons so complicated? I need help - give me suggestions you guys! Preferably in a private message.**

**Leave a review please!**


	14. Boom Boom Boom

OH MY GOD! Season 13! The Counselor's name! Not even two episodes and I can already tell that something will happen! *sucks in breath sharply and coughs* Anyway... here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own no one but my OCs.**

* * *

I stared at the teleporter before me. I looked back at the three men. "There's no way I'm going through that."

"We have to!" Simmons said. "This is the quickest way to get to Sidewinder."

I looked back at the teleporter. I looked back at them. "You know what? I'm with Lav; I'm walking to Sidewinder. I'd rather do that than to go through my weird experience with it again."

After we managed to get away from the corridor where that woman came in, we quickly tracked down the signal of the bomb activated inside of Church. Well, mostly Simmons. But anyway, after we found it and Simmons working on the teleporter (along with working Frankie through it) and we're here – though I had to repress my giggle at Sarge's antics on going through the wrong portal.

But now as we stood in front of one that leads to Sidewinder… seriously, I don't want to go through it again. It was… I'm not even sure how to describe it. It was… I don't know… weird?

It's the best I could describe it.

"But how are you going to get to Sidewinder from here?" Simmons asked me, his tone bored.

"Uh… I'll think of something."

Mikey tapped his chin in thought. "Wow… that would probably take a long time for you to get to Sidewinder."

"Um, I'm sure I'll be fine." Even **I** don't feel convinced.

"Listen little lady," Sarge began, "We don't have time for lollygagging – the bomb could explode at any minute!"

On some parts, I have to agree – for all we know, the bomb could be ticking down faster than we thought… but still…

"I want to be there to see O'Malley and Grif get destroyed by it!" Ah, there it is; that's the OTHER reason.

"But what about Lopez?" Simmons pointed out.

"Oh, right, and maybe find him as well," the red soldier added sheepishly. He cleared his throat. "So hop to it, missy!"

"Yeah, uh, I don't think so," I said, turning around. "I'm not sure how you guys got used to it, but I'm not-"

I felt something shove me forward and I let out a startled yelp.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground.

"Uh…" I groaned out before I pushed myself up-

And then something landed on my back, and my face planted onto the ground (but thank God for the helmets). Gawd! What's on my back-?

"Oh! Sorry Erica!" Oh. Mikey. I felt him getting off of me. "Uh, are you okay?"

I laid there for a moment. "…Who pushed me?"

"Oh, it was Red Sargent," Mikey answered. "When you turned away, he went and shoved you in the teleporter."

Oh, yeah, sure. He can't hurt females, but he certainly has no qualms pushing them into frickin'-!

Wait. I pushed myself up again, and this time, I took in my surroundings.

We seem to be in a building of sorts. But there is dust and cobwebs around… like it hadn't been used. Plus, even through the Kelvar under-suit, I can feel the cold seeping in.

So…this is Sidewinder. "…Huh," I murmured as I stood up.

"Oh, hi guys," Mikey suddenly spoke up.

I turned to Sarge and Simmons. The former crossed his arms. "Just so you know, I don't regret that."

I just deadpanned at him. "…If we weren't chasing O'Malley, I would have hit you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Meh, too much effort." For some odd reason, I have a feeling that I might hit him – for real.

Sarge grunted a bit, as if pleased on his deed.

As I pushed myself up, Sarge asked Simmons, "So how long until the others arrive?"

"Well, sir, after we arrived here, they should be here any minute now," Simmons replied.

I hope so – it would be bad that they did end up in the middle of nowhere in outer space and lose oxygen in a matter of minutes…

After a few minutes, the teleporter glowed again. "Okay, here they come," Simmons said. "Hopefully…"

Either them or that woman. I have to agree with him on that.

I let out a sigh of relieve when Tex came out of the teleporter, followed by Frankie. "Yeah-ha, I knew I could fix a teleporter!" He said, sounding pleased with himself. He looked over his hands. "I guess these hands aren't just for manicuring after all."

"Hi Frankie," I said – at least Frankie isn't an asshole like Simmons and Sarge.

"Oh, hey guys! How's it going?" Frankie asked.

"Oh, not much," I shrugged. "We got separated, went through some things I don't want to describe, saw someone scary come out of the teleporter, and I was shoved by Sarge to get here."

Frankie stared at me. "That sucks."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I sighed.

At that moment, Lav tumbled out of the teleporter, covered in soot and did a rather graceful face-plant onto the ground, yelping in pain.

"Hi Tucker/Lav," Mikey and I said in unison.

"Ugh…" Lav groaned before pushing himself up. "Damn, that hurts like a bitch!"

"What's all that black stuff on your armor?" Simmons asked in confusion.

"Wha?" Lav looked over at himself then at Frankie and groaned. "What the fuck? How come it's just _me_ that's affected!?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's your armor?" I asked. Now that I thought about it, how come Mikey's armor didn't have the soot on him the last few times?

Do the teleporters hate him?

…Nah, that's stupid – technology can't be racist- well, they can, but…

I better not over think it.

I looked around. "Where's Tex?"

"Didn't you notice?" Simmons asked me. "She took off ahead when she came out."

"Oh." Most likely out looking for Wyoming… wait. "Oh shit…" I murmured.

"What?" Simmons asked.

"We need to warn her about what we saw back there," I said to him.

"Saw what?" Lav and Frankie asked, confused.

I turned to them. "Guys… we saw someone else in that weird nexus," I said. "It was a woman."

"Oh! Is she hot?" Of course, Lav **had** to ask that.

I gawked at him. "Lav, this is not the time!" I shouted at him. He stepped back a bit. "She has some advanced tech on her, and not only that… she could be much more dangerous than Tex."

Lav stared at me. "…Oh shit, you're actually serious," he breathed out.

"Of course I am," I nodded. "Simmons, Sarge and Mikey saw her as well!"

"She was really scary…" Mikey whimpered.

An air of uncertainty is over us. I didn't mean to bring it down but… I don't think we can ignore that woman forever. She could be a potential threat to us, and… there's something about her that just… unnerves me.

I can't really describe the feeling, really.

"Uh… L-Look," Simmons piped up after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "The teleporter messed up her motion sensor. It'll take her a while to try to find this Zero person and by then, we would be LONG gone."

"Yeah, I mean, that person named Zero could be anywhere!" Frankie agreed, also trying to help bring the optimistic atmosphere up.

I bit my lip. As much as I wanted to agree… a part of me just can't get over the fact about that woman. I don't think it'll be _that_ easy.

But I can't bring myself to damper their moods with my pessimist-nature. Most likely, we won't see her again.

…I hope.

I nodded. "Yeah… you're right. Sorry to bring up the doom and gloom…"

"Try not to make a habit of it, okay?" I can hear the smirk in Lav's voice.

"I can't make any promises, but I can try."

"You better."

I frowned a bit. There was a voice that hadn't spoken up in a while. I glanced over at Sarge. He's… staring at me.

I blinked. "…What?"

He turned his head. "Its nuthin'."

Oooo…kay…?

"Anyway, can you guys help me clean this off?" Lav then changed the subject. "I'm kind of sick of walking around in this stuff."

"Soot," I corrected him. "And…why don't you roll around in the snow? It's just frozen water."

"Fuck that," Lav shook his head.

I sighed. "Okay you big baby, let's clean you off," I said. "Do we have something to clean you off with?"

"Oh! I brought some with me!" Frankie exclaimed and- huh, how come I didn't notice that case the first time. "Tex suggested that I bring this with me."

I let out a hum. I guess in the original universe, they had to look around Blue Base to find some cleaning supplies. But…are there openings in the Blue Base that Wyoming can try to snipe us from? Ugh, stupid plot devices… Why are you so confusing?

"Well, okay," I shrugged. "Let's go."

"Okay!" Mikey and Frankie nodded and they headed out.

Lav and I followed them, but I glanced back at Sarge and Simmons – the former looking thoughtful, while the latter looked over at him. "Sarge…?" Simmons asked.

I stared at them for a moment, but then I shrugged and went into the same pace as Lav.

It's probably something not important – it may not have something to do with me.

_**~o~**_

Not long after we cleaned Lav's armor, the six of us set out to try to locate not only O'Malley, but also for any sign of Church and Grif.

And Church isn't kidding. Sidewinder is cold as FUCK!

There are a few times where it was just as cold at the college AND at home (well, generally, everywhere else) but… GOD! How cold is it?

I looked up at the thermostat on my HUD. It took me reading a few times for it to register.

-15 degrees.

… SHIT!

That's-! Oh my god that is fucking cold! Water would've frozen up by now if we had any!

Or maybe US if we took off our armor and Kevlar (and helmets too)!

Ugh! I just HAD to be born in winter! I HATE the cold! I HATE IT! !

Just my freaking luck…

"Hey."

I blinked and looked over at Lav. "Yeah?

"You doing all right?" He asked, concerned.

I let out a sigh. "Cold."

"Yeah," Lav nodded. "Church isn't kidding when he said that it's cold."

"And I _hate_ the fucking cold…" I glowered under my breath.

Lav chuckled. "Don't we all?"

"Wait, how the hell can you even _feel_ the cold?" Simmons questioned me. "Not only are you wearing armor that is heated but also the Kevlar!"

"Hey, don't underestimate the cold!" I retorted. "No matter what you wear, it somehow goes right through it and to the skin!"

"Wimp," Sarge said to me.

"Yes, I'm a wimp, shut up," I grumbled.

"Where the hell are we going, anyway?" Lav then asked.

"We're heading to Red Base," Simmons answered. "It's the only other place where Church and Grif are."

"That and the Blue base is empty," Frankie added.

"Huh, I guess Church wasn't kidding when he said Tex killed off all of the Blues," Lav said.

"Yeah, she-" Simmons cut himself off. "Wait, what? Tex killed off the blues? But- Isn't she a Blue?"

"She's actually hired by us to get our flag back," I said, trying to warm my arms. "She owes us for breaking her out of you guys' jail."

"Hiring a mercenary, huh?" Sarge muttered. "That's a dirty trick with you Blues."

"So? You could've done the same," I pointed out.

Simmons went silent. "…How come we didn't think of that?" He pondered.

"Because you guys suck," Lav said.

"Yeah, and I don't think there are enough Freelancers you can hire," I added. "Some of them are assholes."

Sarge grumbled to himself.

I looked around the snow covered canyon warily. O'Malley and Lopez can be anywhere… along with Wyoming. And there are multiple Churchs out there, and Tex is all tied up. Still… I can't lower my guard. That nearly got me killed (a few times), and I'm not planning on doing that again-

A sinister laughter rang out.

I sighed. "Spoke too soon…" I muttered as the men looked around. I looked up at the icy cliffs, and sure enough, I saw Doc's possessed body and Lopez. "Uh… I think we just landed in a trap, you guys," I announced.

"Aw hell!" Lav cried out.

O'Malley laughed loudly. "You fools have fallen _right_ into my trap!" I just said that. "Only now do you realize the _folly_ of your follies! Prepare for an oblivion, for which there is _no preparation_!" He laughed evilly some more.

Hmm… that could get annoying pretty quickly. The laughing I mean.

The other men pointed their weapons at O'Malley. "O'Malley, the Reds and Blues are working together now!" Simmons called out, his voice confident. "You can't hope to beat us!"

"Ha HA! You are a fool!" O'Malley shouted. "You cannot do anything even when you team up!" Hmm, that's new; but the Reds and Blues surprisingly do pretty well together. I mean, look at their battle with the Meta. They just gotta cooperate is all-

Then the possessed medic looked over at me. "Well, now, what's this?" He let out. "The sole female of the group? Well, I'm surprised you survived that blast."

"Uh…" I muttered, uncomfortable.

"Well, she has a fucking power!" …God…dammit, Lav. "Even if you take us down, at least she can!" I doubt that. I only have small training, but it's not enough…!

O'Malley stared down at us for a bit…then he cackled. "You fools! It does not matter what type of power you have! You are no match for me… and my robotic ally!" He turned to Lopez. "Lopez, activate weather control routines!"

"Okay," Lopez nodded (and I half expected him to add 'master'), before he raised his arms. As soon as he did, his body began to glow and beams of light shout out from his hands into the sky. There was lightning coming out of him, the clouds rolled in into a windstorm, the falling snow whipping at our faces (not that we can feel it, with us wearing helmets and all). Not only that, Lopez was soon surrounded by mystic runes.

…If that thing wasn't about to kill us, and me being horribly frightened by all of this, I would have chalked this down as the most badass thing I've ever witnessed.

"Whoa!" Simmons cried out, amazed. "Are those runic symbols as a sign of some ancient technology?"

"Actually, I used to draw them on my binder during study hall," oh, there's Doc. He's still hanging in there.

He chuckled. "I _always_ wanted to use them for something," he admitted. "Aren't they cool?"

"If we aren't about to die, yes!" Hey, I might as well get that out before we die.

"Shut up!" And O'Malley's back.

"Oh, Sampson's back hair!" Sarge cried out, distressed. "They found our secret weapon!"

"Secret weapon? What secret weapon!?" Lav shouted as the wind got stronger.

"I developed a weather control device," Sarge explained, "but I was missing one _critical_ piece of technology to make it work!"

"Ha, yes," O'Malley chuckled. "And now that I've located those 'D' batteries, _the universe will be mine_!" He then proceeded to do his evil laugh.

Oh yeah, it got annoying. "God dammit! Shut up with the laughing!" I shouted up at him, ignoring Sarge and Lav bickering behind me.

"Never!" The AI shouted down at me.

Prick.

_Tick-tick-tick…_

I blinked at the sound. A clock?

…It's getting louder…

Oh, wait. Duh.

I looked back in time to see Church running at us. "What the hell is going on?!" He exclaimed over the wind.

"You want the long version or the short version?" Sarge asked. "Basically, you've got a fifty megaton bomb in your gut-"

"Ten, sir," Simmons corrected.

"And Lopez is about to kill us all."

Church stared at him. "…That didn't make any sense," he said. "What's the long version?"

"That WAS the long version!" Lav shouted. "The short version is 'we're _boned'_!"

"…Well, I could have said anything else, but that basically describes our problem very well," I admitted. "So yeah, we're pretty boned here."

"Then whose bright idea was it to chase him?" Church exclaimed.

"Do you want me to say anything?" I asked with a bored tone.

He looks like he was about to retort but then a rocket shot over our heads and hit the ground behind us. "Oh shit!" Lav shouted as we all scattered in fear.

"You foolish fools will _never_ defeat me!" O'Malley shouted as rockets were launched at us. "You're far too busy being foolish!" He cackled. "Oblivion is at hand!"

In the chaos, I somehow got separated from the others and I found myself hiding at the cliff. The other spots were taken.

But at least I'm at O'Malley's blind spot.

Though, how long would that last? And there's also Wyoming and the bomb to worry about as well. And where the hell is Tex during all of this? She was untied a while ago…was she?

I looked back at the others, all of them hiding. O'Malley jumped down and silently crept up to Sarge and Grif.

I looked over at Simmons, who's trying to get the portal to work.

Who knows how long it would take for Simmons to get the portal ready for the Battle Creek Reds and Blues to come through.

I looked back at O'Malley. He's getting closer to Sarge and Grif.

Unconsciously, I took in a weary breath.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to _fucking_ die.

I charged at the possessed medic.

_**~o~**_

For the most part, Grif was slightly amazed that he wasn't done with Sarge's shit (yet). But, it was not surprising that Sarge would come up with a plan _that_ ridiculous in an effort to try to kill him. _Again._

"You're kidding," Grif deadpanned.

"It's a remote chance," Sarge said, ignoring his deadpan. "But it's worth a shot."

Before Grif can say anything, O'Malley suddenly appeared behind Sarge, aiming his rocket launcher at them. "OOOOOBLIVION IS AT HAND!" He shouted with a mad cackle.

"Oh shit!" Grif exclaimed in horror.

"Cover your ears, guys," Doc's voice called out. "This thing is _really_ loud!"

Shit. Being blown up by an enemy; what a way to go. He half expected his death to be at the hands of aliens, starvation, poison… or well, anything really with Sarge always threatening to kill him (crazy old fool) but… Well, at least Kaikaina is safe.

Despite himself, he held onto Sarge. "This is it!" he cried out. If there's one thing he wanted to say…

This army sucks-

"OOF!"

Huh?

Grif wearily opened his eyes and looked at the scene – the chick in indigo armor tackled O'Malley and the two of them tumbled and rolled onto the snow, and the possessed medic lost his grip on his larger, more dangerous weapon.

O'Malley shoved the woman off, who tumbled a bit before picking herself up.

The possessed medic pushed himself up as well. "Little bitch!" He cursed.

The woman sighed and got into a stance. "At least this bitch will attempt to stop you," she stated.

Grif wasn't sure what expression O'Malley was making but the next moment, he charged at her. And then all hell broke loose.

The woman barely dodged the punches, but she was kicked down. She quickly got back up before she tried to do punches of her own, but O'Malley managed to dodge them expertly before grabbing her by the head and brutally kneed her on the chin. Her head jerked up but O'Malley wasn't done yet. He grabbed her by the helmet and PUNCHED her, sending her flying and tumbling- and are those orange shards in the snow?

The woman shakily pushed herself up before she pried off her helmet. She has some glass on her face, and blood is drippling down, but she quickly tugged them off before standing up. "God they hurt…" she murmured.

Then suddenly O'Malley punched her again, and she fell to the snow again. "How pathetic," he sneered. "I will admit, it was a good attempt, but you are weak and pathetic!"

She pushed herself up again – hey, her glasses are gone – to glare at him. But she didn't say anything.

"Aw, what's wrong?" O'Malley asked, mockingly. "Nothing witty to say?"

She simply stood up and took a stance.

O'Malley chuckled. "Oh, this is adorable," he said, shaking his head.

"…She's got balls, that's for sure," Sarge said.

Grif could only nod before she attempted to fight him again. "Crazy… but she's got balls."

…He never thought he'd agree with Sarge on _that_ one.

_**~o~**_

Ow. Ow.

Okay, that fucking hurt.

The punch to the face, the visor shards on my face… and not to mention the beat down I'm getting…

…And here I thought I got used to it from a few…incidents in my past.

I guess not.

The snow _burns_ on my skin, and dammit, I lost my glasses! It doesn't help that my face stings… and my hair is out of its ponytail. Great.

I tried to push myself up again- only for me to be pushed back onto the ground by a foot. "Ugh!"

"Well, now I'm getting bored," O'Malley spoke up and I heard a gun click. I froze. How did he-?

Fuck. He has _my_ gun.

I managed to move my head (and trying to ignore the snow under my face) to look up at O'Malley. He has my gun pointed right at my face. And since he had me pinned…

I'm fucked.

"I was hoping for a bit more fun with you," O'Malley spoke up, "You with your unusual power she told me-" wait, 'she'? "- but it seems that she was bluffing. What a shame." He cocked the gun. "There will be no way for you to survive this shot. I'll be sure to let you loved ones see you again… in hell!" He cackled.

"Or may in another place," Doc piped in. "If… well, I don't like to talk about this stuff."

"Shut up!" O'Malley shouted at the medic. "Now…DIE!"

I braced myself. _'This is the end…!'_

"Not so fast, O'Malley!" I have never been so relieved to hear Simmons' voice. I tried to look over at where Simmons is, in the middle of the field and he has something in his hand. "Maybe we can't stop you… but I know who can!"

A green doorway appeared and soon-

Wait a minute. Didn't… Didn't Mikey slaughter them?

How are they alive!? This isn't possible!

I flinched when I heard gunfire. But it wasn't O'Malley.

In fact, I felt his foot get off of my back and screaming. I pushed myself up to see the Reds and Blues of Battle Creek chasing after the possessed medic, shooting at him. Slowly, I pushed myself up, watching O'Malley screaming like a little bitch.

Serves him right.

I looked over to the ground and picked up my pistol. "Okay, now that's what I call a 'deux es machina'…. Or whatever the hell it's called…"

Strapping the gun to my hip, I quickly followed the Reds. Ugh, the others further ahead are freakin' blurs! My eyesight is so shitty!

A streak of light came out of nowhere and struck the cobalt blur. That must be Church.

And now this will end horribly.

Sarge got to Church and knelt down. "Hold still, son, this'll just take a second."

He then pried off Church's codpiece…and I really can't see because I was standing with the others. But I figured that's where the bomb is located at.

"Goddammit, don't you _ever_ install anything above the waist?" Church sounds really upset. Or angry. Any of the negative emotions.

There was a moment…and then Sarge jumped back. "Oh no!" He shouted (and oh shit, that sounds bad). "That last lightning bolt fused the detonator! There's no way to turn this thing off!"

"WHAT?!" I jumped at the multiple panicked shouts from the men.

"Can't you just turn it off manually?" Simmons asked.

"Impossible," Sarge shook his head. "I specifically designed it so that not even _I_ would be able to defuse it."

"What-?" Grif stuttered and fumbled with his words before he finally spat out, "WHY?"

"It was just in case I fell into the wrong hands, and was _brainwashed_ to help the Blues."

"Huh, well, uh, nice thinking sir." I gawked at Simmons. Seriously? _SERIOUSLY!?_

"NICE THINKING?!" I shouted hysterically. "BECAUSE OF THAT SHEER ACT OF STUPIDITY, WE'RE GOING TO FUCKING _DIE_!"

They all stared at me (and Mikey hid behind Lav)…before Grif said, "Yeah, I gotta agree with her."

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU AGREEING WITH OUR ENEMY?!" Simmons shouted at him.

"At least she knows that this was a bad idea!"

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!" Simmons yelled. "YOU'RE NOT REACTING AT ALL!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"**YES!**" This time, Lav, Church, and I joined Simmons.

"…Oh," Grif muttered. "Well fuck."

Sarge shook his head. "Lazy until the end, huh? Can't say that I'm not surprised."

Lav then sighed and- hey, since when did Simmons snag the rocket launcher? "Church, there's only one thing I can do," he said, pointing it at the cobalt soldier.

"Hey, what the hell?"

"There's only twenty seconds left!" Simmons yelled. Really? Where did the time go?

"Look, if I blow you up _before_ the bomb goes off, there's at least a small chance the rest of us will live," Tucker explained.

"But the rocket will kill me!" Church protested.

"Ten seconds!"

I then thought about it. "…Actually, if Lac _did_ shot you, it'll case the bomb to explode quicker and take us all out." They stared at me. I shrugged. "What? It's logic?"

"…That's actually a good point," Lav admitted- but he loaded it anyway. "But, it's a risk we're about to take."

Seriously?

"Five seconds!"

"Sorry, Church."

Church grumbled. "Man this blows. You guys suck."

Suddenly, a shot rang out- and I wasn't the only one surprised to see the rocket launcher ripped out of Lav's hands. "What the hell?" He yelped out.

I looked up and… I see a white blur holding something black. "Sorry, Private Tucker," oh, it's Wyoming, "but I _always_ get my man. Say goodbye, mate."

Well, at least I (technically) met a British man- wait.

A loud beeping noise rang out. "Uh guys, I hate to interrupt but… zero seconds."

…Shit.

I looked over at Church as the being got faster…and is that the internet dialup sound? "Oh, son of a-"

There was a bright – _very_ bright – light, and I felt intense pain…

…and then nothing.

_**~o~**_

All was quiet after the great explosion.

The wind silently blew, kicking up some snow that didn't stick before someone came in.

Tex looked over the group that are lying some feet away from the blast radius. She went over to one of them, a female in indigo armor.

Like the others, her armor was badly damaged. Tex crouched down and used a bio-comm. to check her stats.

Alive. Hurt, but still alive.

She looked over the others. So are they.

"Son of a bitch…" she muttered, slightly impressed.

Most likely, the shields protected them from the brunt of the explosion, but it still did a lot of damage to them. They need medical treatment.

She looked around and cursed. Wyoming, and O'Malley aren't around. They most likely escaped or took cover to avoid the explosion.

Tex had a feeling this might happen, so she took her time before getting here. No way is she going to let this new body get damaged.

Still… where the hell did Church go? Did he really go back to the past?

As unbelievable as that sounds…most likely Gamma took Wyoming's Time Distortion enhancement and used that to save Church. That could explain those clones.

She looked over at the woman passed out in the snow. What should she do? Leave her here?

…Well, she could get some medical treatment with them. And some new armor. Because there is _no way_ she'll continue to use it-

She noticed a bleep on her motion tracker. Behind her.

Tex turned swiftly and brought out her gun-

And blinked. She lowered her gun. "…Who the hell are you…?"

* * *

**And…cliffhanger! Sorry, but I wanted to get this chapter out pretty damn quick. On the bright side, we're in the Halo 2 engine next chapter! Exciting, isn't it?**

**What will happen to these idiots now? Who is the person that confronted Tex? I know who, but I am not spoiling it! And that would be no fun.**

**Look forward to the next chapter, and leave a review! (or criticism – gimme your best shot)**


	15. Stranded

...Does ANYONE know how long they've been out of commission until after the bomb exploded? ? GAWD!

**Disclaimer: I own no one but my OCs.**

* * *

I wasn't sure on what's going on. Am I alive? Or…am I dead?

I can't…tell.

There are coherent moments in which I felt that…there's some sort of substance that are on my body, most of them on my face. It's a cool substance, but I was too out of it to know what it is or what it does. I do know that it felt so good on my face.

Sometimes, I thought I woke up, but I wasn't sure if I was dreaming when I was back to sleep immediately.

During those times, it felt that I was probed with something, like…someone was trying to examine me via autopsy. I was practically numb the whole time it happened, but I was thankful for it – I don't want to know what I was going to see or feel when it happened.

One time that I was coherent, I thought I heard some voices. They were slurred, like they were drugged, and I managed to make out:

"-bomb…gone off…-"

"-we? Are…dead-?"

"-dead! I want…alive…a cowboy…-"

"…man. Tomorrow…you can eat…all that…could…-"

"-not dead…kind of tem… prepare….impact…!-"

Hm…they sound familiar…

Uh…so sleepy…

I let the darkness take me once more.

_**~o~**_

…Ugh…

What the fuck happened…?

"…she all right?" Huh? Whozzat?

"How should I know?" A male's voice spoke up.

"She WAS closer to the blast," another voice said. They sound familiar. "I would be surprised that she survived it."

"I'm more surprised that she was still with us," a southern accent said. "I'd figure that she would be blown up along with the present."

"One, that's bullshit. And two, shut up! She's gotta wake up is all." Who the hell are they?

I squinted my eyes and opened them. It was blurry…really blurry, and kind of bright – not too bright that it hurts my eyes but it hurts. A bit. I waited a bit for the blur to go away and slowly, it did. …Though, everything else is still blurry further away. Where are my glasses-?

A head in a blue helmet popped up in my vision. "Erica?"

"FUCKING HELL!" I yelped out, scrambling back before I hit a wall.

"AH!" The head yelped out as well, falling back.

I panted heavily as I stared at the figure. The person has a black undersuit underneath some armor colored blue, a helmet over their head with an orange visor…

…And something in my mind told me that I knew this person.

"She's awake," the male voice spoke up and I looked around for the source. There are other armored people but in different shades of color – red, maroon, orange, teal, pink- wait. Wait minute…

"You okay Erica?" The teal one asked me.

Wait a minute…I know those people.

Suddenly, I remembered and I let out a groan, leaning back against the wall. "Yeah…" I muttered. "God Mikey, you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry!" Mikey let out.

I looked around. Okay, this place looks familiar. This is…where we were supposed to come to look for that energy signature, right? A freakin' desert…great.

Then I realized something. I looked around on the ground. "Where the hell are my glasses?" I asked, feeling the ground for them.

"Oh, these?" I heard Simmons ask, and I looked over. He held something in his fingers. Those must be my glasses!

"Yeah!" I nodded as I got up to get them.

"Uh… you sure you want them?" There was a…nervous tone in his voice.

I blinked. "Why-?" The question died down in my throat when I got closer.

There is a large crack on the right side of the thick lens. Parts of it have been bended inwards, and the parts the held the glasses to the ears/head are bent in different directions.

In short…it's fucked.

I slowly took the glasses from the man and looked over at them. I let out a sigh – I've had them for two years…and the spare I've got is back home.

Shit.

"What happened to them?" I heard Frankie asked me.

I sighed again. "I guess they were stepped down during my scuffle with O'Malley…" I muttered.

"Man…that must've sucked." No shit.

"Those are pretty thick lens, though," Simmons spoke up. "I never knew they could be like that."

I looked over at him. "I'm nearsighted," I explained. "So I need glasses to see things further away."

"But why are they **that** thick? That's what I was asking!" Simmons exclaimed.

Oh. I shifted my eyes. "…My eyesight is horrible."

"They can't be THAT bad," Grif shrugged.

Oh, you have NO idea, Grif. "They're pretty bad," I argued.

"How bad?" Frankie asked.

I tried to think. "Uh… 2000 something?"

"What?!" Simmons shouted. "Two thousand!? That's impossible; girls shouldn't have that!"

I gave him a pointed look. "And that goes to show that there are a lot of things girls have," I deadpanned. "They have ailments like men do."

"But-!"

"Wait a second!" Lav suddenly interjected. "Why aren't you freaking out about our new surroundings?"

I was actually thankful for the change in the subject. I looked over at him. "Uh, priorities, dude," I said. "Those glasses were pretty expensive."

"Well, you can forget about finding someone to fix them," Sarge spoke up. "We're probably the last few people still alive!"

I gave him a blank look. "Huh?"

Sarge let out a sigh and put his hands on my shoulders. "Missy, don't freak out now. In fact, you and Tucker should stay calm when I tell you this," he sounded so freakin' serious… too bad that I knew that we were actually moved here – but he continued, "But…we're in the distance future."

Even Lav stared at him. "…you can't be serious," the aqua armored man said.

"I have to agree," I nodded. "How are we in the 'future' exactly?"

"Oh! Oh! Can we do the skit now Sarge?" Skit-? Oh goddammit.

"Uh, no thanks," I shook my head. "I'd rather hear on WHAT happened – not how it happened."

"I have to agree on that," Lav said.

"Hm… yeah, that would be faster," Sarge nodded.

"Aw…" Frankie bowed his head in sadness. I almost felt bad for him – but, I don't want my brain to rot.

Sarge then cleared his throat. "All right – when the bomb in Church went off in combination with Lopez's weather matrix, it created an explosion so large, not only did it cause a temporal rift in time, it also destroyed the present!"

Again, the two of us stared at him. "…Huh?" I let out, a deadpan in my voice.

"Wait, that didn't make sense," Lav let out, rubbing his head. "The future? Aren't we always in the present?"

"Son," Sarge said slowly to that he can understand. "You just aren't listenin'. The present has been destroyed. It no longer exists."

"That's…not exactly right" I piped up. "Yesterday is like the past – tomorrow is like the future – today, this day specifically, is the present. So you can't really say that we're in the future _exactly_."

Sarge stared at us. Then he looked over at the others. "They're a lost cause," he said. "They're in denial." He shook his head.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever old man." He isn't someone I know exactly, so I don't have respect for him. At all. Exactly how much brain damage does he have?

"So you're telling me that a _bomb_ sent us into the future," even Lav thinks that's bullshit!

"Well, yeah," Simmons nodded. "You see, luckily Church was facing forward when the bomb went off, and we were standing in front of him. So that sent us forward into the future."

Bullshit. "Oh that's bull," I said. "No matter what direction we face, it's always forward." I turned to a direction. "That's forward." I turned to another, opposite. "That's forward." I looked back at them. "So we're always facing forward."

"Well, all right then, smart ass," Sarge crossed his arms. "Then explain why we're in the desert?"

"The desert used to be a part of an ocean floor," I said. "If we're in a snowy field, it would probably be a wasteland of sorts, and burned trees, stumps and rocks all around."

The Sargent and his pet stared at me.

"Wait a second," I looked over at Lav to see him looking around. "Where's Church? What happened to him?"

"Oh…" Simmons let out, as if realizing it. "Uh…"

Sarge scratched the top of his helmet. "Hmm…never really thought about him."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are the best," I said, sarcastically.

"We are?" Simmons asked.

"No."

Grif and Lav snickered.

"Well, most likely he's dead," Sarge shrugged, uncaringly.

"He could be hurt, and trapped in the present," Lav said.

"That's impossible, son," Sarge shook his head. "The _present_ doesn't exist anymore." Oh dear god, don't they know _anything_ about how time works?!

"You mean the past," I deadpanned. Then I thought about it – I might as well move it right along the plot. "Well, OUR past, anyway. And if we're blown into the future, what do you think happened to him?"

Silence went by as I waited for them to get the implications of what I'm saying.

…Then Lav let out a gasp. "Oh SHIT!"

"What?" Some of them asked – and it's sad that Lav is (slightly) more intelligent than the others.

"Don't you get it? If Church was facing forward during the explosion, and that blew us into the future, it happened to Church as well!" Lav hastily explained. "As in he was blown backwards into the _past_! The distant past!"

We looked at the Reds and Mikey, waiting on what they'll say.

"…Damn." Eloquently put, Grif.

"Is that bad?" Simmons asked.

I twitched. _Must. Not. Maim._

I put a hand on my visor. "I'm surrounding by morons…" I muttered.

I just want to go through this _quickly_. I lowered my hand. "In some ways, yes," I said. "But right now, it's not important. What's important is that we're in a _desert_, and we need to find shelter, or a means to get out of here without dying of dehydration."

Sarge grunted. "As much as I hate to admit, she's right," he said. "Let's split up to find any sort of life, or anything of use!"

Simmons looked over at us. "But…there's seven of us," he pointed out. "We have an odd number."

Silence.

"…That's a good point," I admitted, rubbing my chin.

"In that case, you should come with us, Erica!" Frankie beamed as he grabbed my arm.

"Yeah! It will be like a field trip!" Mikey agreed, grabbing my other arm.

"Uh…" I said.

Sarge shook his head at us. "All right, I'll make sure nothing happens to them," he said then looked over at the three remaining men. "You guys check out the fields, we'll look at the mountains."

"Okay," Grif and Simmons nodded (though it was more of a sigh from Grif).

"Uh, don't I get a say in this-?" I began to ask before I was made to go forward. "Whoa!"

"Let's go!" Mikey and Frankie cheered.

'_Dear god, what have I gotten myself into?'_

_**~o~**_

Brows furrowed in concentration, I gently pulled the part back into its position. I tested it out to make sure that it won't fall off, holding my breath.

It didn't.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Too bad I don't have any tools," I muttered, looking over the sorry state of my glasses.

My eyesight would end up being a hindrance down the road. I need to find a way to either get a new pair of glasses (with the same lens and everything) or maybe some contacts…or a way to make sure I don't lose them in battle all together.

I looked over at my glasses again. I got the two parts that kept the glasses to my head straightened out…now I gotta fix the nose pieces. The nose pads are gone though. And I know from experience on how painful those can be if left there for too long. I sighed again. Great. I can't believe that I didn't have my other pair.

"Hey!" I jumped at Sarge's voice. "Break time's over! Hop to it missy!"

"Okay, okay," I called back before I stood up. I placed my glasses somewhere and I headed to where the three men are. I need to find some tools to continue fixing my glasses later.

I met up with the three men as Sarge had his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. Frankie and Caboose seemed to be doing…something. I looked over at the man in red, who looked over at me. "About damn time," he lowered his arms. "What were you doing?"

"Trying to fix my glasses," I answered as I pulled them out. "I'll need some tools to fix the nose parts, but I also need some nose pads for them as well."

"Why the hell did you bring glasses?" Sarge asked me. "They would just hinder you." Hmm…that's actually a pretty wise thing he had ever said.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I don't know if there are any contacts that could fit my big eyeballs." I've been wanting to get some contacts after realizing that I have poor eyesight, but…well, not only does it cost some money to adjust some to the size of my eyeballs, or even the kind that will be good for my eyes; also, we're pretty lazy.

"Hm…well, you're shit out of luck then." Thank you for summing that up, Sarge. Really.

"Yeah…" I grunted.

Sarge then looked over at me…before looking over at the Rookies. "Donut, Caboose, go scout out ahead," he said. "I need to have a word with her."

Huh?

"Okay/Okie-dokey!" The two nodded before they moved further ahead.

I blinked. What does Sarge want to talk to me about?

"Uh… what's up?" I asked, nervously.

He looked over at me. "I want to discuss with you in private about that woman we saw years ago," he said. "The lady that was looking for 'Zero'."

It felt as if my heart just stopped. "…Huh?"

"I didn't think much about it until you explained it to Donut and Tucker," he elaborated. "And I also thought about what she said: that Zero went in along with a maroon soldier. Simmons is the only soldier I know that has the color maroon."

A part of me is surprised that he didn't catch the 'simulation trooper' part, but…I was mostly surprised by his deduction skills. But I'm still kind of questioning on HOW Sarge figured out the meaning behind Simmons' message in Revelation.

"Uh…"

"So I'll ask you a question:" He leaned in to me, and I could see his eyes narrowed through his visor. "What sort of relation do you have with her?"

…How can I answer that? I never knew that woman or anything about her!

"I…" I then sighed. "I don't know."

Sarge gave me a look. "You don't know?" He repeated, skeptic.

"Seriously, I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I'm just as lost as you guys are!"

"You seem very terrified of her though," Sarge pointed out.

"Of course I am!" I said. "I mean, why else would I be terrified of something that normal people would be scared of?"

"I meant the part where you tried to keep us away from the room."

I blinked. …That's a good point. I was…just overcome with fear that I tried to keep the three of them away. But the thing is… I honestly have no idea what _caused_ that fear.

"I…" I mumbled…before I sighed. "I don't know. I just…don't know. Everything's gone screwy for the past few days for me, and it's just…overwhelming." I just feel so tired right now.

The past months that I spent at Blood Gulch, training with Tex actually kept me from brooding too much about what the future holds. But there are also so many things that could go wrong in an instant; even _if_ I managed to fix it, or plan it thoroughly. I'm not smart, I'll admit that; nor am I strong or fast or…well, skillful at anything. I just spent most of my life playing video games and spending so much time on the internet. My life spent around technology, and yet I don't know a thing about them. On how to work with them, repair them, hack them, anything really.

I'm…very lazy, and cocky on a few things that I think I know. Like video games. God how my sister always reprimand me for me being a 'know-it-all'. I just…I was just trying to help them.

Here, I'm literally…no one. When I first started college, it felt kind of…good not being known who I am – it's one thing that you're known as being 'Tyler's sister' at where I live. But I was picked on constantly _before _they realized who I am. By the time they do… I no longer cared. I ignored every one of them, and only found solace in people that I _do_ trust. The amount that I found are…very few, I'll admit. I really didn't mind the fresh start.

But…it's very different when you're at a place you know, but not only are you _not_ known but you really don't have a place to return to. A place you can call home.

Honestly, I was fine with being alone but…

Mikey is a friendly guy (although he's kind of like a special eds kid), and, though he tries to understand a lot of things, he can't. But he kept trying anyway.

Lavernius is a pervert (still is) but… he's actually a decent guy once you got to know him. A good friend, actually.

I've barely known the Reds…but, I don't know, maybe I'll get to know them better down the road. Eventually, all of us will be allies for things to come in the future – whether they like it or not.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I blinked and looked up at Sarge. "Look, right now it doesn't matter," Sarge spoke up. "We're hundreds of years into the future now. She won't be able to get to us. Right now, we'll just have to stay together for a while until either we get Lopez back or we beat O'Malley. In the meantime, don't worry about the little details."

My eyes blinked up at him. Don't worry? That's easy for him to say… still…he's probably right. I shouldn't worry about that right now.

I sighed. "No promises, but… I'll try."

"Hey Sarge! Look what we found!" Frankie called out further ahead.

"All right, let's see what they found," Sarge said, moving his hand and heading off. Like everything is normal.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay," I said before following him.

After walking for a bit, we saw Frankie waving his arms at us, and Mikey peeked in from…uh, what are they called?

"What do you two find?" Sarge got right to the point and asked.

"We found a vehicle in the gully!" Frankie exclaimed. Oh, so that's what they're called.

We looked inside, and saw…is that a Warthog? How did it get here?

"It's…a vehicle," I stated.

"Excellent work, you two!" Sarge nodded. "I'll go and contact the others." He turned on the radio. "Grif, Simmons, get yer keesters over here!"

Well, time to wait. I looked over at the Warthog and sat in the passenger seat. "Hmm…" I jumped a bit to test out the seat. "Comfy…but not really comfy."

"In war, there's no room for comfort, Lady Blue," Sarge told me.

I withheld a sigh. "Sarge…maybe it'll be easier if I just told you my name."

"That seems dumb," Sarge said. "Why would you give your enemy your name?"

"Hey, at the moment, we're allies," I pointed out to him. "So you might as well learn my name, instead of calling me Lady Blue, Blue Lady, etc."

Sarge grunted. "Right. _At the moment_, we're allies."

I merely nodded. "Okay, so, my name's Erica. Erica Helms."

"Uh huh."

Ah, that's the best I could get.

I got out of the jeep, just in time to see Grif, Simmons and Lav coming up to us.

"Look what I found!" Mikey called out.

"I found it!" Frankie exclaimed.

Mikey bowed his head. "Look at what I took credit for finding."

I slowly shook my head at the two as Sarge said, "A-making that these two actually accomplished something."

"Tell me about it," I muttered in agreement.

Grif looked over at it. "It looks like some kind of an alien transport mechanism that could be used to-."

"Or, it's a jeep," Simmons cut in.

Grif stared at him. "…You have _no_ imagination."

That bit is true – it's because of imagination that we have the things we have today. Still… I joined Sarge in looking over the Warthog. "Well… whatever it is, we can probably use it to get out of here." I nodded. "Good work guys."

Sarge opened the hood of the vehicle. "Hm… it isn't too badly damaged, but it'll take a couple of days to get it to working order."

"How are you going to fix it?" Simmons asked. "There's no parts and what're you gonna use for fuel?"

This time, Sarge stared at him. "Grif was right, Simmons," he admitted. "You don't have _any _imagination."

"Thank you sir," Grif nodded.

"Shut up, scumbag," Sarge retorted. "We're not having a moment. Now help me get the jeep out of there!"

"Ugh, _fine_!" Grif complained, before heading over to help (reluctantly).

As the Reds pushed the Warthog out, Lav called out," Hey! We still need to find Church."

"He's dead, son," Sarge grunted. "Why haven't you given up hope yet and just move on?"

"It's only been a couple of hours!" It was? Wow, time certainly flies.

It wasn't long until the Reds managed to get it out of the gully. As the two men in orange and maroon armor panted, Sarge looked over at Lav. "Well, this should make you feel better. When his body got blasted into smithereens, at least he took all of our enemies with him."

I shook my head. "There's _no way_ we're that lucky," I reminded him.

"Stop being a pessimist, Helms," Sarge said- wait, huh?

Lav looked over at him. "You called her by her last name?"

"Why not?" Sarge asked. "It makes more sense to call her by that."

Me, Lav, Mikey and Frankie exchanged looks. "But… we called her by her first name," Frankie said. "It just sounds right."

Sarge grunted. I looked between them. "Look, let's not worry about that, okay?" I asked. "It doesn't matter what you guys call me, okay? I'm fine with whatever."

"So you would say that you would like to be called 'Babe'?" I can hear the smirk in Lav's voice.

At first, I thought about flat out saying 'No', but I thought about it. "…We're not exactly going out," I reminded him.

"Aw, c'mon!"

I sighed. "I'm going for a bit of a walk. If you need me, you can find me by my indigo armor." I then walked towards a direction.

"What's her problem?" I heard Grif asked.

"Ah, she's weird like that," Lav replied.

I walked a bit further away before I found a spot, and sat down on a rock. I let out a sigh. _'The next couple of days are going to be hectic…' _I thought.

Because, even if Sarge told me not to worry… I still worry.

* * *

**Hm… rather short, but, oh well. Better to get a chapter out than never. As for what's up in the Red vs Blue episodes coming out, not only did Tucker do something, the sword came into play again. Ugh, I won't enjoy it if it'll be a PSA episode next week! Sometimes, I just hate it when there are cliffhangers (even if I do that to the people reading this as well – does that make me a hypocrite?) **

**Anyways, the next chapter would have Erica interacting with the Reds more…then the action would come back. Maybe.**

**(Or Tucker is more observant than he looks and Erica is like SHIT at times.)**

**Leave a review until then, please!**


	16. A Need to Know Basis

So… I watched the recent episode of Red vs Blue. It was fucked up; that's all I can say. The part with Locus, I mean. Well… here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I own none of these guys. Nada.  
**

* * *

Tucker let out a sigh as he leaned against the rock. God, he was so fucking bored.

Well, it was pretty boring back at Blood Gulch back then (he refuses to believe that they did time traveled to the future) but…right now, this takes the cake. A lot of things happened pretty fast – with O'Malley back and possessing Doc, kidnapping the Red's robot, and then they got here. That would have been fine if it wasn't for one thing:

Church isn't with them.

Sure, the guy is a huge asshole, but…at least he was someone coherent that he can talk to. He could have talked to Caboose, but… well, sometimes that guy is just dumb. And there was the fact that he was possessed by O'Malley for a while. Erica is a good conversationalist, but they sometimes get…philosiphal; other than that, she doesn't have a lot to say, so…she's kind of boring to talk to.

In the end, he often prefer to talk to Church.

But now that asshole could be _anywhere_ – in the past, present, whatever. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt sort of…lonely. Not the kind of lonely that 'you don't have someone in the bed with you' but…regular, 'I don't have any friends' lonely. It's kind of weird.

He let out an aggravated sigh, before pushing himself up.

He's fucking bored and he didn't want to sit around and all – he thinks a lot of things and it isn't good.

The black man trudged over to where the Reds are – the last time he saw them, they were working on the Warthog (there was an argument on what to name the vehicle earlier, but Sarge quickly put an end to it with his shotgun). When he got close, he saw that two of them are under the Warthog, while the other two (the arguing – maybe secretly married – couple), and all of them wore their helmets. So did he; you would have to be _crazy_ to take it off in heat like this!

Tucker got closer and he heard Simmons (who was looking over at something) spoke up:

"You know as soon as we get this up and running, we'll have to attach a gun to the back of the vehicle. It doesn't feel right, you know?"

The black man looked over at where the gun should be. True to what Simmons said, there isn't a gun at the back. He looked back at the maroon clad soldier. "Okay, but where in the fuck are you going to find a gun out here?"

"I don't know," Simmons shrugged as Grif got himself comfortable in the driver's seat.

"You know, if we're talking about adding a few new things, we should also put in new rims," Grif spoke up.

Tucker and Simmons stared at Grif (for different reasons) before Simmons crossed his arms. "_No_," he said. "I don't think getting new rims for the jeep's a good idea."

"Oh come on, Simmons! If we all kick in, we can get some spinners, some kickass subs, or even hydraulics!"

_That_ got his interest. "I'm in," Tucker nodded.

Simmons stared at them, dumbfounded. "Why?"

"Um for style?" Grif replied, like it was obvious.

"For chicks," Tucker nodded.

"What chicks?" Simmons let out- then seems to pause. "Wait, would your friend be into that?"

Oh, right. He didn't consider Erica. "I don't know," he shrugged. "Do you think she could be in to stuff like that?"

"What are you guys doing?" The three of them turned to the said female as she came to them…rubbing her eye with a sleepy look.

"Where have you been?" Simmons asked her.

She yawned. "Sorry. I was just tired. I accidentally took a nap."

"A nap?" Grif asked, then he looked like he was thinking about it. "Huh… how come I didn't think of that?"

"I'm surprised you didn't get any burns or something," Tucker spoke up.

"Nah, I just slept in the shade," the woman waved it off. She grimaced and put her finger through her hair. "Ugh… I'd really kill for a brush now… or maybe a bath or something."

"Where the hell are you going to find something like that?" Simmons asked her.

"I don't know," she groaned. "I don't feel clean! It's like we haven't been bathed in forever!"

"So? I don't take a bath in a while," Grif said, leaning against the seat.

"What-?" Simmons yelped out then let out a disgusted noise. "That is fucking _unsanitary_!"

Tucker found himself glad that they have on helmets (again)…and made a mental note to also bathe.

"Anyway, besides her, what other chicks are we going to find?" Simmons asked. "We don't even know if anyone's still alive."

"What about Tex?" Erica asked.

"What about her?" Simmons asked back.

"I'm just saying, what if she's also alive and somewhere in this time era?"

Oh. He forgot about her, actually.

"Well, who cares about her?" Grif said. "At least she isn't around to kick our asses now."

Erica made an unamused grunt.

Someone cleared their throat, and they looked over at Sarge. "Ya'll having fun gossiping?"

"Uh…"

"Technically sir, we're just talking about some stuff," Simmons said.

"Well never mind that," Sarge said. "If you ladies are through, I could use some help fixing our vehicle!"

"Oh yeah, right, here let me try-"

"Wait!" Erica called out, cutting off Grif. "Um… aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Who? Caboose?" Tucker asked her.

She just pointed at something behind Sarge on the ground. They looked and saw Donut still under there. "What the-? Donut, what are you doing?" Sarge demanded.

"I'm just petting the bunny that's in the soup can!" Donut said.

The what?

Sarge grumbled something and grabbed Donut by the ankles and pulled him out from under the Warthog. "HEY!"

"Donut, I specifically said 'don't touch _anything_'! Especially the muffler to the Warthog!" Oh. So that's what it was.

After getting at a fair distance, with Donut pouting and looking huffy, Sarge hollered to Grif, "Okay! NOW give it a go!"

Grif nodded and turned on the Warthog. It turned on without difficulty. "Oh yeah! Listen to that purr!" You can practically hear the grin in his voice.

"At least we know it works," Erica said- right before the engine died. "…oh… uh…"

Tucker looked over at her. "Spoke too soon?"

"Yeah, I guess," Erica shrugged.

Sarge grunted. "Looks like it could use some more work," he said before he inspects the Warthog.

At that time Simmons got onto the passenger side of the vehicle. "Hey, what are you doing?" Grif asked him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Simmons asked back. "I'm getting in the jeep."

"What are we, on a date?" Grif shoved him away. "Get in the back."

Erica made a smirk. "If Simmons has the back, who takes the top?"

Oh, he saw what she did there. It wasn't a moment later until the two of them sputtered.

"What the fuck?!"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" The two of them exclaimed.

Erica sniggered. "You two are so insecure."

Tucker nearly bust out laughing at that stammering Simmons is making, as Grif stared (or glared) at her.

"Would you all shut up?!" Sarge yelled, with a glare. "In case you've forgotten, we need to get this thing fixed!"

"Sorry," Erica shrugged. "I'm just having a bit of fun."

"Why would you want to have fun at the time like this?" Simmons asked her.

Erica bowed her head a bit before placing her helmet on. "It keeps me from brooding too much."

Tucker gave a look at her. She does tend to brood a lot. He often saw her do that a lot, but whenever he asks, she always says that it's her 'thinking face'. But why make an expression like that when 'thinking' or in la-la land? It doesn't make sense.

"Okay, look," Sarge's voice got the aqua clad man back to reality. "I know on Blue Team, you like to lollygag a bit-"

Tucker made an exasperated sigh. "There _is_ no Blue Team," he said. "It's all a lie – Red and Blue are the same."

"Oh don't start that crap again," Grif groaned.

"But it's true! Even Erica agrees," he looked over at the indigo clad woman, "right?"

"Uh…" He noticed that she hesitated a bit before nodded. "Yeah. I believe him."

He raised an eyebrow. What was that about?

"You know, you two sound like conspiracy nuts when you talk about that stuff," Simmons sighed. Then he said in a sarcastic monotone, "The government put a chip in my brain!"

"The President can hear my thoughts!" Grif added.

"We never landed on the sun!" Donut whimpered.

"Actually, that one is true," Erica cut in. "You would be nothing but melted skin, roasted meat and destroyed bone before you even reach it. It may seem small where we are now, but a star is a lot bigger than say… Jupiter."

"Really?" Donut asked, surprised.

"Yup, and there are others a lot bigger than the one the planet we're on is currently rotating around."

Grif scratched his head. "Does that mean that they also put fluoride in my water?"

"That's right,' Simmons nodded.

"Huh," Grif let out. "No wonder I listen to so much pop music."

Sarge grumbled, palming his visor. "Anyway, while this conversation is interesting, I better go and check on Mikey," Erica said. "I gotta make sure that he isn't sleeping in the sunlight."

As she walked off, Sarge looked over at him. "Back on topic, we're fixing the jeep because we need to be prepared, just as our enemies are no doubt preparing to attack us at this moment."

Tucker blinked incredulously. "But you guys think _I'm_ your enemy, and I'm not preparing to do anything," he reminded them…before he smirked. "'Cept get L-A-I-D." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

He looked over at the Reds staring at him, his smirk falling. "Laid."

"Yeah, we can spell," Grif said. "We just think that was fucking weak."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "You guys are no fun," he said, walking off.

He ignored what they said, putting his hands behind his head. He didn't have an intended destination, really, but he didn't want to hang around those guys for a while longer. Unconsciously, he went to the same direction as the woman. He wasn't sure why but his body just did.

After walking a few paces, he soon noticed the woman sitting on a rock. She took her helmet off, and her hair flown back a bit from a drift of wind. Tucker looked out to see what she was staring out – but it was just nothing but sand, rocks and more sand.

Blinking, he went over to her side. "You okay?"

"Huh?" The brunette blinked. Now that he got a better look at her, her hair is all raggedy, like she hadn't brushed it in forever. There are a few scars on her face from where she was probably burned from the explosion, and the red ring around her pupils creeped him out a bit. They always do – but a simple feature to her shouldn't change who she is.

"You brooding again?" He asked her.

"Oh… uh…" she sighed and looked forward. "Yeah…"

"Is that really normal for you?"

She didn't answer.

He sighed. Women are so weird.

Tucker found a seat next to her and sat down. At least the rock is wide enough for them.

Silence went by between them for a while…until Tucker asked, "So, how's Caboose?"

"Huh?" Erica 'intelligently' let out. "Oh, uh…" He looked at her, just as she said, "Oh god. I forgot about it."

A couple of chuckles escaped from his throat. "You forgot, just like that? Wow, you sure are the best."

"Oh shut up," she muttered. "Sometimes I forget to do the things I'm doing. Especially if I'm doing something else."

Tucker shrugged. "Well, not everyone is perfect," he said. "You said so yourself."

"…Yeah," she muttered.

The wind blew by them again, and Tucker took off his helmet, running his fingers through his hair. He hissed a bit when his fingers snagged on a few knots. Looks like he has to find a way to fix up his hair.

He sighed…and he suddenly became aware of someone staring at him. The black man looked over to see Erica staring at him. "…What?" He asked.

"Did… your hair become curly the last time I saw it?" She asked.

Did it? "Uh… I don't…exactly have a mirror…" He muttered…before he looked over at the visor. In the right light, it can be reflective – so it's a good substitute for a mirror.

He noticed that his hair had gotten longer than it was before they 'time traveled', and they did, indeed, curl. Almost as if…

Tucker looked over at her. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Uh…what?" She looked, apprehensive. Why?

He thought about his question…then asked, slowly, "Did…we really travel in time?"

There was silence…then she answered, "No."

Tucker stared down at his reflection. "Then…what _did_ happen to us?"

Silence again. "…I don't know," she said. "We were probably found, fixed up and moved here I guess."

"But who would fix us up and drop us off here?" He questioned. It didn't make since – if it was Command (was there _really_ a command?) then shouldn't they be at Blood Gulch? That's… where they were stationed at, right?

And yet there are a lot of things that didn't make sense. Is there really a Red vs Blue war? Why are they _really_ at the canyon in the middle of nowhere? Are they even soldiers? All they do is just stand around and talk – there's never any action unless something happens. Like…right now.

Tucker looked over at her. "Hey, is there really a civil war between the Red and Blue armies?" She DID agree that the war is nonsense, and that there could be more going on…what the hell is going on?

Erica gave him a look. He…honestly can't describe it, but it's like an odd mixture of shock, surprise…horror? He isn't sure.

It took her longer to come up with an answer than usual. "Uh…"

He blinked. "What?"

"Uh…wwwhy do you ask that?" Hm…something about that answer doesn't seem right.

Tucker had to repress a frown – but he felt that he kind of failed it when he said, "Well, you agreed that there was a conspiracy – and that talk we had days before this disaster. Don't you remember?" It was surprising that she agreed with him during that talk…not to mention that she seemed… unfazed by a few things – like Church coming back as a ghost, Doc appearing, the negotiation with the Reds…and there are times where she seemed frantic, like her trying to stop Sheila from continuing to fire at stuff, shoving him out of the way to take a hit from O'Malley, and trying to fight him back at Sidewinder…

Almost like…

She expected that it could happen.

"Uh… well, yeah, I do remember," Erica said finally (breaking him out of his thoughts). He ran her fingers through her hair a bit. "But… the sad thing about conspiracies is that no one would believe you unless you have proof… but, even if you DO have proof, you'll have people who'll keep denying it, even if it's the truth."

"Are you saying that I should stop telling them?" Tucker asked.

"No," she said (too quickly, he noticed). "It's just… there are some things that we need to keep to ourselves. There are some secrets that shouldn't be found out. And people would do _anything_ to keep it a secret…like killing the person who knows about the 'secret'."

Oh yeah, that asshole in white that shot the rocket launcher out of his hands. That was…Wyoming, right; one of the people that Tex knew in the Freelancers?

But… if Tex _is_ still out there, is Wyoming still alive as well?

…That is a thought that didn't bode well for him.

Still…

Tucker sighed and put his helmet back on – he made a reminder to himself that he needed to find a way to get his hair short. They don't have any knives on them.

And with their hair as raggedly and tangle-ly as it is right now, it'll be painful to try to brush it out.

Looks like Erica thought that as well, hissing as she tried to run her fingers through it. "Ugh… I may need to get it cut off after all…"

"Yeah," Tucker nodded. "It's a shame, really – I mean…uh…" He fumbled with his words. What could he say to the woman? Most of the time, he mostly flirts with other women (only to either get slapped, outright rejected or… well, sometimes robbed) but… Erica is different from them.

He scratched his head. "Well… your hair's got nice curls," he said. "It'd be bad if your hair can't show them anymore."

Tucker looked over at the woman, who seemed to blush a bit…then glanced away, rubbing at her arm. "Um… thanks, Lav."

"Sure," he nodded before he stood up and put his helmet back on. "C'mon, we better make sure that Caboose is okay, and not napping in the sunlight."

"Okay," she nodded, before she did the same. "C'mon."

The two headed out to where they last saw Caboose go. It wasn't long until they found the third blue napping in the shade. Tucker almost felt jealous at how peaceful he looks when he's asleep. His helmet is off, but he looks comfortable in his armor…but then he noticed something that Caboose was using as a pillow. Something black.

They gave each other a look and approached the napping blue. "Hey, Mikey," Erica said, gently shaking Caboose's shoulder.

Caboose mumbled a bit and slowly pushed himself up, rubbing his eye a bit. "Oh… hello," he yawned.

Erica kneeled to the ground. "How was your nap, Mikey?"

"Oh, it was pretty good," Caboose smiled. "The ground was nice and cool, but it isn't as soft as our beds back home."

Home huh? How long was it that he actually slept in a soft bed back at his home; before Blood Gulch?

Tucker looked over at the black object – it resembles a duffle bag. "Where'd you find that?" He asked. It looked kind of familiar…

"Oh, I found that sitting in the shade I was sleeping in," Caboose explained. "So I thought I'd use it as a pillow since it's already there."

"Is it okay if we can look through it?" Erica asked him next.

"Okay!" Caboose handed the bag over to her.

The woman gently took the bag from him, looking over it until she found the zipper. She pulled the zipper back before rummaging through it. She pulled out two things – a knife and a note with her name on it.

She looked over at the note before handing the knife to Tucker. "Here," she said before she stood up and headed off, taking the bag with her.

The two of them watched her go. "…What's wrong?" Caboose asked.

"I dunno," Tucker shrugged. Though, he could have sworn that bag was familiar…

He shrugged and pulled out the knife from its sheath. He looked over at it before he took off his helmet. He pressed the knife to his long hair.

It cut off so easily.

Tucker made a sigh. "Let's get this over with," he said, before he grabbed more of his hair.

_**~o~**_

I ran my fingers through my hair. But as I did, they soon touch nothing but air once they get to my shoulders.

I sighed – I knew that I had to do it. I don't want to have difficulty on getting out all of the knots and tangles in my hair.

…But it still feels weird not having my hair like… this.

"Ugh," Grif groaned next to me. "If you miss your hair so much, then why cut it off?"

I made a face at him. "My long hair would get in the way," I said. "Not to mention that it would be a task to brush it all out."

"Yeah," Grif nodded. "It's like you can make another animal with that amount of hair."

That's what my sister usually say as well. But even with my hair cut, it still hurts when I had to rake through my hair. God… that is so much hair…

Why am I born with thick hair?!

Stupid genetics…

At that moment, Simmons came walking in. "Okay, let's-" He then took notice of me. "…What is she doing here?"

I shrugged. "I'm bored. And I don't want to go out into the desert to search for our leader again." I also fucking hate the desert. Reminds me of those hot days in Florida.

"Geez, you really don't have any respect for your leader," Simmons said.

"He hasn't done anything to earn it," I said back, leaning against the passenger side of the Warthog to prop my foot over the dashboard. "So… why should I?" I mean, I've been trying to make sure that he would be on good terms with _Mikey_. I don't want to get too attached to Church because… well, I know on what his fate will be in the future.

That part is inevitable – the Meta has to be stopped…for a time.

But… it's odd and bad – I know that and yet I'm getting attached to Mikey and Lav. What if I get attached to these goofballs as well? I just…

I can't imagine what it would be like if the day comes that they die. Or get killed.

That could probably kill me as well.

Gah… not even a few days and I'm already like this. Dammit, what's _wrong_ with me?

In an effort to be rid of myself of this, I looked over at Grif. "So what exactly are you guys gonna do?"

"Well, Grif and I were going to go out and patrol," Simmons said, though he was glaring at me. "To look for life."

"I don't know," Grif muttered, "I'd rather that we use something else."

"Oh c'mon, don't be lazy," Simmons said.

"Hey, I'd rather not wonder around the desert again," the orange soldier retorted. "The other day, I don't know how, I managed to get sand all over me!"

"You're in armor."

"_Inside_. And don't get me started on where I found said sand."

"It was just that one time!" Comically, I just watched the two as they…bickered, looking back and forth between the two of them. "It wasn't my fault that you fell into that sand pit."

"Don't you mean 'we'? You also fell in!"

"That's because you grabbed me!"

"I don't hear you complaining about you getting sand in certain places."

"That's because I'm a cyborg now!"

"So shouldn't you have sand in your ports by now?"

I…think I should break this up now. "Okay, I'm with Grif on this one," I spoke up loudly. I looked over the Warthog. "So… if it makes you guys feel better, we can use this. You know, as a test drive."

Sarge has been working on it for the past few days. So… it wouldn't hurt to take it out for a test drive, should it?

And Grif actually looked _interested_. "Hmm… that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Wait, I don't think we should," Simmons protested. "What if it isn't ready yet?"

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" I asked as I looked over at it.

It looks fine to me.

I glanced over at Simmons – still blotchy, I just want to fix my glasses soon – and he seemed to hesitate. "I don't know…"

I tapped my chin in thought. True that Sarge spent most of the time fixing this thing while the rest of us tried to search for whoever else is here with us – and _man_ did he spend his time on it. Sometimes I watched him work on it, using that tool and placing that part in it; and he usually shoos me away so that he can work in peace.

Besides Lopez, Sarge is pretty good with tools. But not _as_ good, I should say.

Still… I don't want the two to get a tongue lashing because I suggested that we should take the Warthog for a joyride.

I nodded to myself and looked at Simmons. "Well, if it makes you feel better, just tell Sarge that we'll be putting the Warthog through its first test drive in our patrol. Would that work?"

Simmons seems to do a take. "Uh…"

"I'm pretty sure he won't mind," I added.

"I'm pretty sure he will," Simmons said.

"Well then, we won't know until you ask him." I looked over at my nails casually. "He doesn't trust me and it doesn't seem like he likes Grif much."

Simmons made a nonverbal groan, before sighing. "Okay, fine. I'll go ask him. Don't be surprised that he'll say 'no'." With that, he turned and went to find Sarge.

I let out a sigh. I hope it goes well.

"…You do realize that the old man would say 'no'," Grif told me.

"I know, but I'm taking my chances," I shrugged. I glanced at him. "So, you got a name besides 'Grif'?"

"Huh…" Grif let out, and it felt like he was raising an eyebrow under his helmet. "Simmons is right, you do ask some odd questions."

"Honestly, I don't care," I shrugged. "We aren't fighting – well, regular fighting."

"Meh, true." I waited for Grif to tell me his name – I mean, I already knew it, but I'd rather hear what they are. I don't want to seem suspicious.

…But after a while, he didn't respond. I blinked over at him. "Uh…?"

Grif looked at me. "That reminds me: have you ever drove before?"

I froze. "Uh…"

Yeah… I…never drove before. Not actually _drove_ on open road – I practiced, and did a few things for my parents, like backing up their trucks – but… the thing is, I'm… terrified of driving. I mean, back in my day (_wow_, I never thought I'd say it – or think it), there are regulations and other things you need to learn about on the road – what signs to look for, what speed limit you need to go on and so forth. But that isn't what scared me. No. It was…well, there are a lot of people who just can't fucking drive! I saw a lot of people texting while driving, going slow in front of us, and even going fast – almost hitting our bumper in trying to get us to go faster! And there are a lot of crazy things that happen on the road, like, accidents.

Horrific ones that can either injure you for life…or kill you.

That's what I'm scared of the most.

And to my freakin' luck, Grif seemed to pick up on my hesitance. "Hey… you okay?"

"Uh…" I put my helmet back on. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

"…You don't know how to drive, do you?"

…What the fuck? How is he observant?!

On the other hand, so was Lav, but… still, this isn't what I'd expected from the laziest guy of Red Team.

…Not to mention that I don't know how to drive the Warthog…

But with a lot of things to respond to Grif's incredulous question…

My mouth just let out, "Uh…"

Grif slowly shook his head at me. "That's just sad."

I just lowered my head with a grumble.

I could have sworn the orange soldier made a chuckle-like sound. "Well, who knows how long Simmons will get here," he said. "So you'll be entering 'Driving 101' with me as your teacher."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

He got out of the jeep. "You heard me. Get your ass in the driver's seat."

I was just…dumbfounded. "Uh… why are you teaching me?"

He shrugged. "Mostly, I just wanted to see just how bad you are with driving."

I made a face at him. "Gee, thanks," I rolled my eyes.

_Sometime later…_

Okay, okay. Stay calm. Just stay calm. Just stay- _fuck, rock!_ Oh fuck, I can't stay calm! I can't stay calm! I can't-!

"What the hell are you doing?!" Someone shouted, hysterical.

I screamed, I heard someone else scream and I slammed onto the brakes. If it hadn't been for my helmet, I would have gotten a concussion when my head bashed onto the stirring wheel. But the whiplash _hurts_.

Oww…

"Okay… remind me not to let your drive in the future," Grif said to me.

"Hooo-kay…" I just answered. My neck hurts…

"I seriously mean it."

"Oh holy shit you're being serious." Was that Simmons? When did he get here?

I tired moving my neck, but it hurts still. So I just stayed still as I asked the maroon clad man, "When did you get here?"

"I just got here when I saw you driving around like a lunatic," he deadpanned. "What the hell were you doing anyway?"

"Grif thought it was funny to teach me to drive to see how badly I'll do," I answered, tired. My _neck_…

"Wha-? GRIF!"

"What? I thought it was funny at the time!" Grif exclaimed. "I didn't expect her to get all panicky after a few minutes." I felt eyes on me. "Not to mention that she never drove a fucking Warthog."

"She didn't?" Simmons asked, incredulous. "What about that tank?"

"It has an AI in it," I answered. "She drives herself."

"You guys never drove your tank?" This time, Grif sounded incredulous. "D-ha-hamn! That's just sad."

I shifted my eyes to glare at him. "Your jeep keeps getting destroyed."

"Okay, that was uncalled for," I could hear the frown in Simmons' voice.

"Guys, I just experienced a whiplash," I grumbled. "I don't have time for this shit."

Can I even get out of the jeep like this?

…I'll probably regret this, but I might as well try.

Slowly, I lifted up my head. Still kind of hurts, but it's like a cramp now…but can you even have cramps in your neck? I stepped out-

And I found myself on the ground. Specifically, on the sand. At least I have a helmet on – I had sand in my mouth one time…it wasn't pleasant.

"Uh…are you okay?" Simmons asked me, hesitantly.

"I fell on my face," I said, still face down. "Could you guys help me up?"

"Can't you get up yourself?" Simmons asked me (again).

"I don't want to risk hurting myself further."

Simmons sighed. "Good point." I felt a hand on my arm. "Grif, help me pick her up."

"Why do I have to? You're already there."

"**Grif**," he had a stern tone on his voice.

The orange soldier then let out a dramatic sigh. "**Fine**!"

The Warthog squeaked as Grif got out of the Warthog and I felt a pair of hands grab me by the other arm. "Okay, easy… Easy…!"

"Dude, calm down," Grif chided the maroon clad soldier. "She's not going to hurt you."

"Hey, I'm trying not to hurt her more," Simmons retorted before they set me on a rock.

"Thanks," I muttered, massaging my neck. At least it's getting better now. I let out a sigh.

Then I heard a whistle from Grif. "Wow… you pretty much did some damage."

"WHAT?!" Ow! Ow! Simmons, why are you near me? I rubbed my ear as Simmons ranted. "WHAT DAMAGES DID YOU GUYS DO TO THE WARTHOG!? I JUST GOT PERMISSION FROM SARGE TO TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE!"

"Really?" I asked before looking at it. There's a scratch mark on the side of it. It doesn't look _too_ bad-

Then I noticed the damage I made to the _surroundings_. I…holy shit, I really did that?

Some of the stone structures are _destroyed. _There was a large donut shaped hole on the sand some feet away… and there's a sizable crack on one of the stone structures.

I looked over at the Warthog again and saw that the 'tusks' are bent a little.

Whoops.

"…Wow…" If this is an anime, I would be sweat-dropping here.

"THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY?!" The maroon man shouted. He then covered his face with a moan. "Sarge is going to kill me…"

"Uh… I'm sure we can buff out the scratch," I said hesitantly.

"With what?! We don't have anything to 'buff it out'!"

"I'M JUST MAKING A SUGGESTION!" I shouted. I took in a deep breath. God these guys will drive me nuts…

I sighed. "Okay, look, just- let's just go on our fucking patrol." I palmed my face. I could feel a headache forming.

"Uh, can't." I looked over at Grif.

"Why not?"

He pointed at the Warthog. "It's in the ditch."

…Okay, how in the hell did I do that? I don't even remember getting it into a ditch.

How did I do that?

"What-? H-How the hell did you do that?!" Simmons shouted.

"I don't know!" I ran over to it to look it over. "Well… it's not too bad. We just have to get it out of the ditch."

But as I looked over at them, Simmons is still panicking. I can't even understand what the hell he's saying at this point. Grif sighed and put a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Just… just give us a few minutes," he said before he led Simmons away.

I just watched them go.

"…Well, at least I know what they were doing for two hours…" I muttered.

_**~o~**_

Just as I predicted, it took Grif two hours to calm Simmons down. During that time, I just looked around my area of something useful, just to curb my boredom. Mostly for my boredom. At times like these, I _really_ miss some of my stuff – my laptop, my 3DS, my iPod… There are so many things that I didn't get to do back then (literally), and a lot of things I didn't get to see. I heard from my mom that we were supposed to go to Alaska to visit my grandma and great grandparents. I haven't been there since we moved down to Virginia 22 years ago – I was just a year old when we moved – so I don't have many memories of that place. I would have liked to meet them, along with my aunt and cousin. Man, there's a lot that I missed…

Brooding again. Going off track.

Anyways, I just sat down – after wondering around – for a bit when I saw the two returning.

I looked over at Simmons. "You feeling better?"

"Uh… yeah. Sorry about that," he said, his head bowed.

I nodded and got off from the back of the Warthog. "Okay, let's try to get this out of the ditch now."

"Okay, okay, but I'll drive it out," Grif said as he got to the driver's side. I was about to say something as he was turning the keys; it sputtered…but then it died. We shared a look before Grif tried again, only to get the same results.

"What the… is this thing busted?" Grif asked.

I looked over at Simmons – he seems to be about to go into another fit. "Actually…I think it's just out of gas," I quickly spoke up.

The two of them gave me a look. "It runs on gas?" Grif asked.

"Well, not really," I answered. "I watched Sarge work on it, and asked him a few things. He said that he modified the fuel cells to do… something… and it's powered by solar energy." I don't remember a few things of what Sarge told me, but… I tried.

"So then why is it dead?" Simmons asked me next.

"Well, you guys took too long," I crossed my arms. "It ran out of energy while you were calming down." I gave them a suspicious look. "What exactly were you doing for two years?"

"Well, I can tell you what we _weren't_ doing," Grif started.

I stared at him. "What, have sex?"

Their reaction is imminent.

"_WHAT?!"_

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Simmons and Grif guys.

"Fuck no! Simmons isn't even my type!" Grif shouted as Simmons stammered.

I blinked at him. "Wait, you swing both ways?"

"No! That's not what I meant!"

"Huh, I guess I owe Lav ten bucks now," I scratched my head.

"YOU BET ON US?!" Simmons shouted.

"Hey, Lav said that you two are secretly lovers, while I said that you two only bang each other for pleasure," I shrugged. Yeah, I'm shipping these two. Though for some odd reason, I'm taking a fancy to Lav and Wash as a pairing…

I'm a shipping trash. My sister will be happy to know that I have fallen to the dark side.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?" The two of them shouted.

Wow. Is it bad that I'm enjoying teasing these two? This is actually kind of fun.

I couldn't help myself. I smirked. "Hey, why not take out your frustrations on each other," I said. "Bow chicka bow wow."

…Oh dear god, I've hung out with Lav too much.

…And the two of them seem to be glaring at me. I looked between them. "…What?"

They glanced at each other, nodded and back at me. "GET HER!"

My eyes went wide. Uh oh! I quickly turned and ran away from the two.

The chase went on for a minute before Grif nearly passed out from running so much. We quickly made a deal that, as long as I don't tease them, they won't do anything to hurt me. With that out of the way, the three of us pushed the jeep into the sunlight (though Simmons had to yell at Grif to help out when he was _not_ helping us push it out. Asshole). We then had to wait a few minutes for it to refuel before we let Grif drive the Warthog back to where Sarge is waiting.

"We're back," Simmons called out as we got near.

At least Grif drove…as _straight_ as he could. Ugh…

I laid in the back as the two reds talked with their sergeant. Make the dizziness go away…

Nope. I felt my mouth salivate and it's _warm_ and-

I yanked off my helmet, leaned at the very back and hurled.

Ugh…

I don't do well in car rides…

At least my hair is short.

"What the hell happened to you?" Go the fuck away Simmons.

I just lay there, miserable. "What does it look like?" I asked him sardonically.

"Are you motion sick?"

I just grunted.

"…That's just kind of sad," Grif commented.

"Wimp," Sarge said.

I turned my head to glare at the (full) Red. "Motion sickness is a common thing among a lot of people. VERY common. Do _you_ have that at times back during your days?"

"No." That was a quick answer.

I huffed. "Whatever." I slowly made myself sit up.

At that moment, the radio went off. **"Come in. Does anyone hear me? Over."** Tex!

"What the-? Who's that?" Sarge cried out as I scrambled to the front seat.

"It's Tex!" I called out as I sat there to listen, as she continued:

"**-looking for anyone from the Blood Gulch Outposts. Do you read? Over."**

I looked around. "Is there like a radio or something? That thing that we use to talk to the other person on the other end?"

"Forget that! Let's hang up on her!" Simmons exclaimed.

"No, wait!" I held up my hand to stop them.

At that moment, Tex added, **"I have found O'Malley's base. I repeat; I have found O'Malley's base."**

"O'Malley?" Sarge cried out. "Son of a-"

"Called it!" I said.

"**They seemed to be holed up in some kind of a fortress,"**Tex explained. **"I'm not sure how I got here or how they built it, but if you can read this, I need you to get here as fast as you can."**

And then the Reds began to yammer. I frowned. I can't even hear Tex over them! I looked around for that… thing! The other radio! Where is it…? They managed to contact Simmons in Revelation…

AH-HAH!

I picked it up and pressed the button. "Tex! Tex, I read you, over!"

"**Erica?"** She sounded surprised.

"Yes. This is Erica! I'm here with the Reds of Blood Gulch, and the others are searching," I explained. "We're stationary for now, but we have a vehicle that can take us to your destination!"

"**Well, okay, at least one of you is coherent enough,"** Tex said. **"Anyway, my coordinates are two two niner delta, by one point three seven gamma." **I don't know what that means, but she's at Zanzibar. That's ONE good thing.

I then noticed that the Reds are silent and I looked over at them. "…What?"

"…Well, I guess that can work…" Simmons muttered.

I shrugged. "At least the radio works."

"Right," Sarge grunted. He sounds pretty upset – he _really_ wants to make those lens, eh? "Anyways, you stay here missy, we'll try to find the others."

"Or we can just call them by radio," Grif pointed out.

"Yeah, that seems quicker," I agreed.

Sarge grumbled – I wonder what sort of face he's making under that helmet…

"…Okay fine," he finally said before he went off to do so.

Simmons glanced at me before he went to follow Sarge. Grif shrugged before he went someplace else.

I looked back down at the radio. "Yyyyyeah…" I droned out. "We'll be there in a while. Take two to three hours or something."

"…**Right,"** Tex grunted. **"Unfortunately, you guys are the only ones that can come."**

"Yeah… Ain't that the truth," I agreed with her. "Anyways, we'll come as soon as we can, all right?"

"**All right. Over and out."** And the line cuts off. I replaced the radio piece back where I found it and leaned back.

"Well, back to the plot…" I muttered.

* * *

**Indeed. **

**Obviously, Erica fails at driving – she would probably get a quadruple F minus in the driving portion of the test. Or worse. …Actually, worse than that is SpongeBob. **

**Next chapter, they finally get out of the fucking desert and meet Tex. More talking however. Sorry if you wanted action.**

**Leave a review.**

**(Oh, and I put up a new poll. Check it out when you have the time.)**


	17. No Free Rides

Fucking PSAs... we want some more episodes Rooster Teeth! Quit teasing us!

**Disclaimer: I own no one but my OCs.**

* * *

Two hours have passed, and still no sign of the Simulation Troopers.

Tex let out an aggravated sigh from her seat on the rock. "Where the hell are they?" Did they get lost on their way here? The coordinates are pretty simple – at least to some of them. Or a couple of them.

Hell, she's still surprised that they would later get _organized_ – it was hard to believe these idiots can do much. Because, seriously, four of the idiots helping out some rebels on a planet? She didn't want to be mean, but… they could most likely get the poor rebels killed before the war is over.

They survived the other things, but Tex had a hard time believing all of that. There are other Simulation Troopers that are better than the ones in Blood Gulch – well, different levels of 'better' – and, well, normal. But these idiots…? She can't see that.

She just can't.

Fifteen minutes have passed, and there's still no sign of them. She let out an irritated sigh. "Maybe I should just invade O'Malley's fortress on my own," she muttered as she stood up.

That was when she heard something. What is it…?

After a moment, she recognized it…but was nonplussed.

Screams? Who would be screaming-?

Then the Warthog landed on the beach. Then it drove a bit before it started to do doughnuts.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HOW DO I STOP?!" Lone female member of Blue Team screamed.

"PUSH ALL OF THE PEDALS!" Grif shouted. "ALL OF THEM!"

She soon did that, but the moment she did, the Warthog began to tilt dangerously to the left. "AAAHH! LEAN RIGHT! LEAN RIGHT!" Simmons screamed.

They all quickly leaned to the right – sans Caboose ("CABOOSE, LEAN THIS WAY!" Tucker shouted. "Oh," he muttered) before he leaned with them. The Warthog then leaned to the right before it managed to be on all four tires.

The seven passengers sat there in silence, trying to calm themselves.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sarge turned to the indigo clad woman driving. "Okay, who the hell let her drive?!"

"Don't look at me!" Tucker retorted. "How the fuck was I supposed to know she sucks?!"

"Um… I think I peed on myself," Caboose spoke up.

There are yelps as the Reds and Blue (sans Donut) scrambled to get away from the dim blue as Erica is frozen in her seat. Donut looked over at them. "…Well, I think it was fun," he said.

And then Erica finally let go of the steering wheel and seemed to just die.

Donut just looked over at her. "Hey, are you okay?"

She just tilted her head at him. "Just… just don't let me drive. _Ever._"

"Okie-doke," Donut simply nodded.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly got their attention. Tex had managed to get away from the sand that was flying, with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

An awkward silence filled the area.

"…Hey Tex," Erica finally said.

"Hey," Tex responded with a bored tone before they looked over at them. "What took you guys so long to get here?"

"Well… there's seven of us, and this is only a three-seater jeep," Simmons explained. "We had to improvise on seating arrangements."

"And _someone_ had a good idea on letting this maniac drive," Grif glared over at Sarge.

"It wasn't me," Sarge said.

"Wasn't me either," Tucker said.

Tex looked over at them. "…So all of you just assumed that she would be able to drive."

"Hey, Grif and I _saw_ the damage she done earlier!" Simmons exclaimed. "They wouldn't believe us!"

"Hey-!" Tucker began until Erica shouted:

"STOP! Just…" She palmed her visor with a groan, then lowered her hand. "Look, let's all agree that I shouldn't drive _anything_ – it doesn't matter what it is, I should not drive anything. Period. Is everyone all right with that?"

They nodded.

Erica nodded and looked to Tex. "Anyways, what did you find?"

Tex nodded – _right, back to the plot at hand –_ and gestured to the fortress near them. "From what I can see, O'Malley's holed up in his fortress," she reported. "He's been fortifying his defenses for a few days now, and he's got some help; one of those religious nuts you guys picked up."

"Oh, I liked them," Caboose grinned. "They were funny."

Tucker gave him a bored look. "Caboose, they tried to kill you and Sarge because of a _flag_."

"Don't remind me," Sarge grumbled.

Caboose simply shrugged. "I try not to remember the bad things about people."

"That's _all _they tried to do," Tucker said. "There _were _no good things."

"Oh, that's okay. I have a really bad memory-" he looked over at the beach and gasped. "Wow! Look, a beach!"

Tex felt a bang of guilt – it was her, Church and O'Malley's fault that he's messed up in the head now… Maybe they shouldn't have a fire fight in there…

"Shut up, Caboose," Sarge ordered, then looked back at Tex. "What's yer plan, Tex?"

Tex pulled out a map and laid it flat on the rock she was sitting on earlier. She gestured to the others to look at the map. "All right, first we have to breach the outer wall…"

"Oh, I love breaching!" Caboose cheered.

'_Goddammit…'_ Erica thought, a blush hidden under her helmet. _'Has Frankie rubbed off on him-? Fuck, I made it worse!'_

"…Then, we have to get past another wall," Tex added, pointing to the second wall.

"Two walls?" Grif asked. "Some people are so materialistic."

"The second wall has a guard tower and an enormous razor-sharp spinning blade."

"What, _that_ thing?" Simmons asked incredulously, before looking at the fan further in. "It's spinning like two miles an hour."

"I didn't say that it'd be hard to get past," Tex nodded. "It's what's beyond the fan that's the problem. We have to get pass the gun turrets and break into the building…"

"And then we attack O'Malley," Sarge nodded.

"No," Tex shook her head. "That's when we plant… this!" She gestured to a large, glowing gun-metal green sphere laying near them.

They stared at it. "…We're planting a volleyball," Caboose said.

"You sure?" Sarge asked. "Looks more like a bowling ball to me."

Erica could have sworn that, where the timer is supposed to be, the words 'FUCK YOU' is shown. "Uh…"

"It's not a ball, you two," Tex said. "It's a bomb."

"We're planting a volleybomb?" Caboose asked, scratching his head.

"Let's move on," Erica said, bored.

"Right," Tex nodded. "I've scouted a location inside the base where we can set it off and take the whole place down." She pointed at the drawing of the main structure and tapped at the 'x' on it. "I've marked the spot with a big X already."

Tucker gave a look at her. "So… you scouted it," he said.

"Yeah," she nodded, rolling it up.

"Okay, let me get this straight," Tucker began, holding his hands out parallel to each other. "You got past the two walls, the huge spinning blade, the gun turrets, and made it all the way into the fortress, right?" Tex nodded. "If you did all of that, why didn't you just plant the bomb instead of putting a big 'X' on the floor?"

Tex froze. "Uh…"

Erica looked at them then at the wall. "Well…" she rubbed her chin. "She only got in once, but O'Malley has been in her head for a while. So maybe he would be more wary of someone trying to sneak in there the second time, assuming that Tex didn't make the bomb until she called us. She would have a hard time being able to carry it while sneaking past the defenses again."

"…Good point," Tucker nodded.

If Tex could, she could have shot Erica a grateful look. Because, as embarrassing as it sounds, the bomb is…really, really heavy. It has to be, to be effective. That and… it was made from her, um, 'personal' items.

Sarge then went over to the bomb. "Well, we might as well take it with us now," he said, kneeling down to pick it up. "That way we can-" he cut himself off as he tried to pick it. He blinked and tried to pull it up with all of his might. "HURRRRR!"

'…_I hope he doesn't fart,'_ Erica thought randomly as they watched the Red soldier trying to lift the bomb. _'Or at least, accidentally shit his pants.'_

Finally, Sarge gave up and stood up, panting. "D-Damn. It's heavy. Too damn heavy."

"Oh c'mon, it can't be that heavy," Grif said before he went over to it. "Here, let me try."

Sarge moved out of the way to let Grif have at it.

The orange soldier grabbed it and pulled a bit. He blinked. "What the?" He pulled again a few times then tried to pull with all his might… and he panted. "W-What the fuck?! How heavy is this?"

Tex shrugged. "If you want the bomb to be effective, it has to be pretty heavy."

"Wait, so even you can't carry it?" Tucker asked her. Tex stared at him, and he shuffled away nervously. "Uh… okay, okay. It's normal…"

"Oh! Let me try!" Caboose called out, running up to the bomb.

"Yeah, if Sarge can't lift it, I don't think you can-" Simmons was about to say until Tucker cut him off with:

"Nah, let him. He's got _crazy_ strength – Church and I think it is God's way of compensating."

As if to prove Tucker right, Caboose reached down, took the bomb in both hands and lifted it up as easily as he would lift an actual volleyball. "See?" He grunted.

"Great Paul's Bunions!" Sarge cried out. "He's like an ox!"

"But I have no horns, or lumberjack friends," the Blue grunted.

Erica lifted her hand. "Mikey, you don't have to carry it all the time," she said. "Just set it down for now."

"Okay," Caboose nodded before he put it down. He let out a sigh of relief.

Sarge grunted. "Well, I suppose it'll be a good idea to rest…" he muttered, reluctantly. He looked over at Tex. "Alright, then we'll storm in there, blow up O'Malley, leave Grif for dead, and maybe find some clues about what happened to Church and Lopez."

"You mean your robot?" Tex said. She jabbed her thumb at the building. "He's in there with him."

"Wait, what?" Sarge cried out. "Lopez is in the building?"

"Yup," Tex nodded simply.

"In that case, we _can't_ blow up the place!"

"What? Why not?" Tucker cried out.

Sarge's grey eyes shifted under the helmet. "Well…I don't want to get into it, but it's very important that we don't blow up Lopez."

"I hate to break it to you, but when I saw him, he was just a head," Tex informed him.

The Reds (sans Donut) stared at her for a bit. "O…kay, then we can't blow up Lopez's head," Sarge said.

"What, Lopez has some info that's valuable to you guys?" Erica deadpanned (even though she knew that the message is trash).

"Uh…" The Reds droned out.

Erica rolled her eyes under her helmet. "Give me a break."

"Yeah, well, sorry, but I'm going with the bomb," Tex said. "But you know, here's an idea: Maybe you could find your buddy's head in the rubble once we're done here."

"Oh come on," Grif let out. "We can't lift a bomb but we can dig through rubble?"

"Look," Tex held up her hand. "I don't care how important it is – I'm not going to let O'Malley get away this time."

Tucker groaned. "Look, if it'll make you guys feel better, just _hire_ her."

"Wait, what?" Grif blinked.

"Hire her to help you get Lopez back," Tucker explained. "I mean, she was hired to get our flag back when she first got to Blood Gulch."

Simmons tapped his chin. "I think I recall you saying that back at Sidewinder."

"Yeah," Erica nodded. "She takes either money or a favor to trade; either way, she'll help you guys out with Lopez."

"That's right," Tex nodded.

"So… we just hire you and trade in a favor?" Simmons asked.

"Yup."

"Then we'll take it," Sarge said.

"What?" Grif exclaimed.

"Okay," Tex nodded.

"WHAT?!" Grif cried out. "But- wait, hold on. What do we have to do for her?"

"Well, it all depends," Tex shrugged. "It might be for a future job."

"But… it could be anything, right?"

"Oh yeah, anything," Erica nodded.

Grif stared at them. "Like… gay stuff?"

"Maybe," Erica shrugged. Everyone stared at her. "Err- I mean, I don't know!"

"Smooth," Tex muttered.

"Oh hush."

Tucker snickered a little as Simmons and Grif glared at Erica.

Tex rolled her eyes. "Okay, if it'll make you two feel better, we can rule out the gay stuff, all right?"

"Okay," Grif said, (both him and Simmons sighing in relief).

Tucker shook his head. "That is just _sad_ man."

"Okay, everyone, we're heading out in five minutes!" Tex called out. "Take the time to get yourselves ready and prepped for our battle ahead! Are we clear?"

"Yes/Hai!" Tex didn't have to know who it was that said the last part.

"Okay, dismissed."

_**~o~**_

As the others did their own thing, I found myself drawn to the shore near Zanzibar. I stood a couple of feet from the water and pulled off my helmet. I was really, really tempted to just… take off my boots, dig my toes into the sand and just… stand there and let the water roll in and wash over my feet as I just stare out. Letting the wind blow through my hair, and just… listen to the waves.

…It's funny. When I think of 'beach', I think of a moment like this. No crowds, no hazards or… anything in general. Just… peace and quiet.

A place of serenity, a place where you can relax and not worry about anything.

It's… my hakuna matata. And yes, I've watched the Lion King back when I was little.

I feel that nothing's going to ruin it-

"Hey."

I let out a sigh. _'Moment's ruined.'_ I looked over at Tex. "Yeah?"

"You alright?" She asked. "You've been staring out in the distance for two minutes."

I felt a smirk forming. "That's not like you to worry."

"Well, you guys are technically my employers," she said, crossing her arms. "If anything bad happened to you guys, I won't get my pay."

"Right…" I rolled my eyes and looked out at the distance again. "You Freelancers are complicated." I pulled off my helmet.

Oh god, the sea wind is _niiiiiice…_

I heard a hiss and looked over at Tex. "Damn… your face is fucked."

I blinked. "Is it really that bad?"

"Well, yeah," she replied. "You were literally close to the blast – not to mention that I recently learned that you took a beating from Omega."

Really? Is it- is it really that bad? I lightly touched my face a bit before looking over at my reflection in my visor.

Ooooh….damn.

I have burn marks on my face, and some scars from where the glass from my old helmet pierced my skin…

It… must have took a while for them to heal up.

I looked over at Tex. "Did… Were we really in medical treatment for three months?"

She shrugged. "Apparently. I heard a lot of things that were going on out there in the war. The Elites have revolted against the Covenant after the Prophets' betrayal, and we later learned that the 'Halos' they were trying to locate to start the 'Great Journey' were designed to wipe out all life."

"Damn."

"I know," Tex nodded. "But a lot of people don't exactly trust the Elites."

"Well… on some parts, I don't blame them," I shrugged. "They were the 'monsters' that helped kill a lot of humans, part of a lot of 'monsters' that tried to kill off all humans."

Tex gave me a look. "That's some emphasis on 'monsters'."

I gave a look back at her. "Humans are also capable of being monsters themselves. Though there are those that try to do 'good', the temptation to do bad things is just… high. Even if we held back our need to destroy things, if we kept bottling it up, it will not be pretty." I looked out to the ocean. "Humans can be good or bad… a lot of them choose to be bad, because… it's, well, easier. In certain jobs, people abuse their authority to get what they want, believing that, with a badge and fancy items on you, you're untouchable." I looked back at her. "There are a lot of things wrong with humanity Tex. You know it, and I know it. There are really few people who are genuinely good, and there are a _lot_ of people that act 'good' but are really bad deep down. And you also just got people that are just plain bad. Sure there are some that have a chance to be redeemed, but… for some, they don't choose redemption; they just… kept doing these things because it's easier. And there are a _lot _of people who would rather take the 'easy' path and not work their way up with hard work and dedication." I sighed. "Times like these… I hate humans. But… I'm human too. At times, I wish I was something else that isn't a 'human'… but to come down to it, I'm kind of…selfish. Or… a lot. It's a human thing. I guess what makes me feel better is that… I'm me. There's only one 'me' and I'd rather be 'me' than someone else. You can change a lot of things about yourself – outside appearances and such – but you can never really change who you are on the inside. And I think that's important, you know? To have your own identity and not be a 'being' that someone else wants you to be… I think that's better than anything else – to have someone accept you for who you are and not of other things you have. Yeah…"

There was silence.

"…Wow, you really can be philosiphal," Tex deadpanned.

"Sorry," I gave a sheepish smile.

"And the part where you have your own identity…"

It took me a few seconds to register what I said and remember about what Tex is. "Oh… I-uh- I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"

And then, she _chuckled_. "Don't worry about it. You didn't mean it."

I stared at her. "Uh…"

"Did I break you?"

A few seconds is all it took for me to come up with my answer. "…Yeah."

Wow… that was _great_ (sarcasm).

"By the way, you just killed two minutes with your talking," Tex added. "We have a minute left."

It took five seconds for it to register. "Wait, really?"

"Yup."

"Well shit."

"Anyways, I originally came to you to give you this," she then handed me something in a small black case.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just take it and see."

I did as I was told and opened it. I stared. "…Whoa."

In it was a pair of new glasses. It didn't look fancy or anything… but it seems to resemble my old (still broken) pair.

I pulled them out. "Where did you get this?"

"Someone gave them to me," she replied.

I looked up at Tex. "Who?"

"She didn't say." 'She'?

…Well, I better not complain; or question it. At least I can see again. That's a plus.

I put my helmet between my thighs and placed my glasses on.

Oh god! I can see things clearly again! I can see the windmill! I can see the Reds fucking around with the Warthog and Lav and Mikey doing…something.

Still… I can see.

"Well, you're happy," Tex's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

I looked at her. "I am happy."

"Well good," Tex said. "Because it's time to go."

…Oh.

She walked forward and hollered: "Okay! It's time to go everyone!"

I took my helmet in my hands and sighed. "Well, the calm's over," I muttered, before carefully putting it on. "Back to chaos." I paced behind Tex as they began to go over the battle plan one more time before our assault.

…Let's hope we can survive this.

* * *

**Well... that happened. I don't know what else to put on here, so here's a short chapter. Sorry that it couldn't be longer.**

**As for the poll... uh, I have no idea how long I'll keep it up; I may have to do other polls on who Erica will have a some romance with, but at this point, who knows.**

**Get prepared for some action.**

**Leave a review please.**


	18. Can I Not Change Fate?

Eh... some action, but... not much unfortunately. We will see another fail, however. ...Many actually.

**Disclaimer: I own no one.**

* * *

Oh man, oh man, oh man.

Of all things, _why_ am I a part of the team to distract the baddies?

"Okay, remind me again," I spoke up, "Why am I one of the bullet magnets again?"

"You literally survived a rocket fired at you," Tex pointed out. "And the explosion earlier. So it would make sense that you come with us."

I groaned. "This sucks."

"Tell me about it," Grif said.

"Just be thankful that we're going with Tex's plan than Sarge's plan," Lav pointed out.

"Good point."

Right… I didn't give any comments on Sarge's ridiculous plan earlier (that involves us taking the bullets with Sarge _way _in the back). Though Tex's plan is just as dangerous, it's a lot better than the plan Sarge made (and the other one he attempted to make).

Again, I honestly don't blame Grif for having no respect for Sarge. He may be an old war veteran, his methods are… well, mediocre at best. A leader should _at least_ try to have his soldiers survive…or something.

But, yeah. Sarge is fucking crazy at times. Well, all the time.

The radio in our secret channel turned on. **"Okay, is everybody ready?"** Sarge asked us. **"Donut, Caboose and I will move the bomb down the staircase and along the left side of the base."**

"**Please hurry!"** Mikey grunted- and oh, _wow_, Andy must have been _really_ heavy. Poor guy… **"I don't know how much longer… I can talk like this."**

"Hang in there, Mikey," I said, jumping into the conversation. "We'll try to make a clearing for you guys as fast as we can."

"**Ugh… thank you!"** Mikey said.

I was in the middle of looking for a gun for myself (since I lost my pistol back there), but some of them are just some battle rifles. Hardly any pistols at all. Crud…

"Ooh, sniper rifle!" Lav cried out in delight.

I looked over in time to see Tex taking it before he could. "I got it."

"Fuck!" Don't worry, Lav. You'll get something cooler than a sniper rifle soon.

I patted him on the shoulder as Simmons replied to Sarge, "Copy that, Sarge."

"**Simmons, you and the four bullet magnets move up the right side and try to cause some kind of distraction,"** the red leader ordered.

Ugh. Not looking forward to it. Still not.

"Any suggestions?" Simmons asked.

"I think we just need to draw their fire away from the people escorting the package," I said. "It doesn't matter how, we just gotta do it."

"It's exactly as she said," Tex said, gathering some ammo.

Grif looked at us. "Package?"

"The bomb," Simmons and I answered.

"Oh."

"Why can it the package?" Lav then asked.

"We're 'delivering' it to O'Malley," Tex answered.

"Oh."

"**Alright!"** Oh, I forgot that Sarge is still there. **"Basically, do whatever you can to distract the gunners. I don't care what you have to do it, **_**just do it**_**!"**

"**Try some dance moves!" **Frankie piped up. **"Oh, maybe even a musical number!"**

"**No**," I vehemently answered. "No musicals!"

"**Aww… but why?"**

"**GET OFF THE RADIO, DONUT!"** Thank you, Sarge. I don't want to be guilt tripped by him.

I turned off my radio. "Alright, it looks like we're on our own, guys," Simmons spoke up.

I looked around. Huh, I guess Tex already went off. "Where did Tex go?"

"She went up there," Lav pointed.

"Thanks," I nodded before I made my up to where she is.

I found her looking over at the area behind the giant, slow moving fan, with the scope of the rifle. "How bad is it?" I asked her.

"I don't see them yet," she answered. "But the turrets are definitely online."

"Are they?" I asked. Tex simply handed me the rifle and I looked through the scope.

I can see that O'Malley had just dragged the Red Zealot out while carrying Lopez's head. He pointed to one of the turrets and the Zealot nodded before taking his place. O'Malley placed Lopez's head onto the hands of the turret.

I made a face. When I watched season three and saw this… I just don't question it. I mean, there are a lot of things that didn't make sense in some games, anime and cartoons. I don't question them because they all have their own logic in the worlds they live in. But now that this is real…

…How in the hell is Lopez able to fire something like that…as just a _head_? That's just… how is that possible?

"Hey," I felt something shook me.

"Huh?" I mumbled intelligently.

"Something up?" Oh, yeah; I forgot that Tex is with me. Derp.

"Uh… well, actually, O'Malley and his two lackeys are by the turrets," I said. I handed the Sniper Rifle back to her – she needs it more than I do.

Tex simply nodded and stood up. "All right, we better get started." She soon made her way down back into the armory. I took a last glance at the outer wall before I followed her down.

"…hate you too, man," I caught Grif's final sentence, as he comically wiped some tears away from his eyes-

Huh. Dark skin, with parts of it having stitches on his body, black hair and brown eyes… He's certainly tan, I'll give him that.

"**Okay, let's move out!" **…Fuck! I still didn't get a weapon!

"Okay, let's move people," Tex declared as she headed out of the door.

Uh…okay, okay. What can I use, what can I use, what can I use…

I looked around for any guns that I can use…and then I spotted something sticking out of the pile.

Hello, what's this?

I gingerly plucked it out of the pile and looked over at it.

This is…holy shit, it's a Plasma Rifle! One of the guns the Elites have! Awesome! What's it doing here though?

…Ah, well, fuck it. I'm taking it; finders keepers.

With a mad grin, I hooked it up to my hip and quickly followed the others out. I saw the four kneeling by the wall. I quickly did the same, and I got the glare of the sun-

…

Holy shit! The glasses are transition lens! Whoa-ho! That's- that's great! SO convenient!

Why didn't I ask for the lens when I got my two new glasses?

God. I am so freakin' dumb-

And then we're being shot at.

Huh, I guess I missed some conversation while I was here.

"I WILL FUCKING SHOOT YOU, YOU FUCKING WHORES!" …And that would be Lopez. Honestly, I'm surprised that my translator still worked.

"We're under fire!" Grif yelled through the radio. "Sarge, we're under fire!"

It'll okay, Erica, just keep your head down. You don't want your brain to be filled with bullets and have holes…

"What'd he say?" Lav then shouted over the shooting.

"Uh, he was breaking up. I think he said something about staying here and not doing anything risky." For once, I agree with Grif.

"Tex, see what you can do about that gun!" Simmons called out.

"You got it." From the corner of my eye, I see Tex raise up, took aim, and fired.

"FUCKING FUCK!" I heard Lopez shout – and one turret is down.

"Yeah, _headshot_!" She cheered.

"Nice shooting, Tex," Grif said.

I still heard gun fire from the other turret. "We still got one left, however," I informed them.

"Yeah, we can see that, Captain Obvious," Grif said with a bored tone.

"Tucker, you, Erica" hey, he said my name, "and Tex head up across the bridge and try to take out that other turret," Simmons ordered. "We'll head into the base and see if we can find O'Malley."

"Wait, why do I have to go up against a machinegun and you guys get to play hide-and-seek?"

I stared at Lav with a bored look. "Would you rather be blown to bits by a rocket launcher, or be Swiss cheese by a turret?"

"Uh…" I waited a moment for Lav's answer as he thought about the question. "Yeeeah, good point." He looked at Simmons and Grif. "Have fun with that."

At least our side is good, I thought before the three of us took off further in.

Okay, I need a plan. I could either help Lav get out of the hole… or at least, stall Mikey for a while to prevent him from placing the bomb at where he's supposed to put it.

I looked up to see Tex and Lav further up ahead than I am. Ah shit, I gotta catch up to them!

I quickened my pace and I looked up at the large fan we're coming across. The fans are moving _veeeeeryyyyy slooooowlyyyy_ – huh, I guess there really isn't any danger from this-

"WHOAHOA!

"AHH!"

Ow… okay, what the hell happened?

"Tucker, are you and Erica okay?" I heard Tex call down to us- wait.

…

_We fell down_?! Fuck- how the hell did I miss that hole?!

Well that's just _great._

"Yeah, we're okay!" Lav replied. "Erica just crashed into me and we fell down the hole."

"Sorry," I said.

"Anyways, can you give us a hand?"

Then we heard bullets, and Tex cursing. "I'll have to take out this turret first," she told us. "You guys find a way out of here on your own." Her heavy boots hit the floor as she ran, but the machine gun is going off made it difficult to hear anything else.

I sighed. "Great."

"Well, since we're going to be down here, and probably die, I think we should-"

"Yeheah, not today buddy," I cut him off – I know him well enough now that we can at least joke with each other.

"Tease."

"But seriously," I began as I looked around. "Where can we get out from? I don't see any other opening." It's just a rectangular room. Nothing special other than dust – I took a moment to let out a sneeze – and more dust. Ugh… If we don't get out of here soon, I'll sneeze myself to death.

I sniffled. "C'mon, Lav, we better find a way out of here," I said as I looked up at where we dropped down from.

We actually fell down quite a ways. I'm pretty tall at 5'8" or 5'9" but even with that, there's no way we can reach it. Plus… Lav is actually kind of short. In Red vs Blue, all of them seemed to be the same height – but then again, all of them are based on SPARTAN soldiers, who are fucking tall. That actually took me by surprise when I finally noticed how short Lav is… and how tall Mikey is. Mikey is a _big_ boy.

Almost as tall as my sister's fiancé.

I shook my head. I can't get distracted again – we gotta find a way out and regroup with… wait.

I looked around. "Lav?" I called out. Where the hell did he go?

I took in a deep breath and slowly walked forward. "Lav… where are you?" How did we get separated already? This is… aw man, this is bad. I pulled out my gun and looked around slowly. "Lav…?"

Calm down… calm down… I gotta stay calm. There are no monsters, zombie aliens or alien eggs that will sick a creature that will put a parasitic embryo into your chest and you die when they emerge- Shit, I'm not helping myself. God, it's so dark in here, you could barely see-

Wait. Don't our helmets come with a flashlight?

I can't believe I forgot that. Slowly, I reached for the flashlight button and pressed it-

"Hey!"

I let out a scream as I fell back in shock. "L-Lav! Don't _do _that!" My voice is high. "I thought that you might be something out of my worst nightmares!"

Lav had his helmet taken off to rub his ear. "Jeez, sorry," he muttered. "Didn't know that you were loud."

I raised my eyebrow. "What, no Bow Chicka Bow Wow?"

"Eh, that's too easy," Lav shrugged. Then he raised his eyebrow. "And our helmets have a flashlight to them?"

"Well… yeah," I nodded.

"Huh… I never knew that." Eh… I could say that the team doesn't run on brain power… but I'm not one to talk. "Anyways, check out what I found!" He pulled something out and with a flourish- and two blue prongs appeared with a 'phish!'

My eyes went wide. "Holy _shit_!" The Energy Sword!

…And it looked _really_ kickass in person!

"I know, right?" Lav grinned. "This is a lot better than a sniper rifle right now!"

I can't help it. I reached out for it. "Can I hold it?"

"I dunno…" Lav let out with a contemplative look.

"Aw, c'mon man! I just wanna hold it!"

Lav looked like he was considering it… then shook his head. "Nah. I think I'll hold onto this."

I frowned at him. "Fine," I muttered as I pushed myself up. I dusted myself off as I added, "So, have you found an exit or something?"

"Actually, I did," Lav admitted before he put his helmet back on. "C'mon."

Lav pressed the flashlight function on his helmet before he made a gesture to follow him.

We silently made our way down the passage. I couldn't help but look around at the walls. There…isn't anything to indicate that the sword is important…at first. As we go further, there are a few pictures on the walls, along with some writing. I can't understand it – it's literally alien to me.

I looked back over to Lav. "Hey… don't you think that the sword seems… important?"

Lav shrugged. "Hell, if I know," he said. "Most of these is just jibber jabber to me."

Right… because the war is still going on. The Elites – or…what are they called, Sangheili? – didn't revolt until…some events. I think it has something to do with the Halos. Those things…designed to wipe out all life to starve the Flood. But those things are just…just-

I shook my head.

My thoughts have a bad habit of going down the dark path whenever I think of these. I gotta focus on now.

"Right. Jibber jabber," I nodded.

It wasn't long until we found ourselves in a new room. It's spacious and there was a single pedestal sitting in the middle of the room. Huh, I guess that's where the sword was.

I looked around. "So… where's the exit?"

"Right there," Lav said, pointing at some stairs behind the pedestal.

I simply stared. "…Oh. Well, that's convenient."

"Come on," he said before we made our way up the stairs.

Ugh… I hate stairs. And I have no idea how long these will be. But it wasn't long until we saw the light above us. I smiled before I turned off my flashlight. So did Lav. As we got near the opening, we found ourselves…above the turrets. Huh. _Very _convenient. But that probably explains how Lav got up here.

"Hmm, weird," I muttered, looking down at the Red Zealot.

At that moment, Tex got on the radio. **"I'm pinned down, I need assistance! Repeat, I need assistance!"**

Oh! This sounds like the time for me to redeem myself for my shitty performance with O'Malley! Plus, I've been looking for an excuse to use my new gun! I pulled it out. "All right, time for some-" I then noticed Lav jumping down. I just watched as he pulled out his inactive sword, got the Red Zealot's attention before he activated his sword and send the poor guy off of the platform. No, I mean, the Red Zealot went _flying_. A part of me felt bad, but…

I lowered my arm. "Aw man…" That… that just isn't _fair_!

I jumped down to the platform, just as Tex came in. "Hey, where'd you get that?" She sounded amazed.

Lav shrugged. "I dunno, the two of us found it in the hole." He held it up. "Pretty cool, right? Look at what I can do." He then demonstrated by slashing the turret the Red Zealot was using in half.

I looked at the other and back. "Well… might as well leave that one alone." Just in case.

"Say, you wanna trade it for the sniper rifle?" Tex asked, hefting said thing.

"Nah, I'm good," Lav shook his head.

…Should I make a mention that it's locked to Lav now? Tex has knowledge of it from my head… or did she just look at parts of my memories that seemed important? Should I ask? I looked out. …I feel like I'm forgetting about something…

Something… important… What is it? It-It's something important…

"By the way, I think I saw Caboose go into the base," Tex spoke up. "He should have found the 'x' by now."

"That's good," Lav nodded. "Anyway, I should probably show this off to the others. Later!" Then he jumped to the ground.

…Wait, what did Tex say about Mikey?

…

"OH FUCK!" I shouted before I quickly ran inside.

I hope I'm not too late!

_**~o~**_

"WHY THE FUCK IS THIS PLACE SO FUCKING HUGE?!"

And… I _really_ need to stop cursing. I've been around the Reds and Blues for too long. But seriously, why the hell is this place so _fucking big?!_

I actually got lost a couple of times going through this place. It's… surprisingly huge! Don't they have a map of this place somewhere in this place?

Okay, stay calm. Panicking a lot will not help me out here. Now, think. Where on earth would the computer be?

I let out a sigh and walked further. If I remember right… Church may have left a message for Mikey to try to warn him.

…In fact, why in the hell didn't I use the radio to call him? We have our private channel so Omega won't notice… would he? I mean, it would be so much easier to find Mikey – just give him a call and I'll go right to where he is! But, on the other hand, Omega is an AI – would he even notice? I have no idea, and that paranoia is what kept me from calling Mikey.

Sometimes, I curse myself for not thinking things through. …And curse myself even more for not acting on said things.

No matter what, I just can't win, can I?

I let out a miserable sigh as I continued to walk-

"-Caboose, is that you? Can you hear me?" I blinked when I walked past a hallway, and look into it. "Caboose, is that you? Can you hear me?"

…Oh my god, it's the recording Church made!

With a relieved look, I hurried down the hall until I eventually reached the room with the single monitor. "Caboose, is that you? Can you hear me?" The message asked again.

I shook my head. "Is it bad that he knew that it won't work?" Still… at least it was good to, technically hear his voice.

Wait a minute. I looked around for something. "Mikey? Mikey, are you here?" I looked around for my fellow Blue. I turned a corner- and froze. "…Fuck."

Right there, on the 'x', is the bomb. …And it looks like we won't have long until it explodes. It just hit 5:00 until it counted down.

I looked around and back at Andy. "H-Hey! Can't you stop yourself or something? O'Malley is not in here anymore!"

There was silence.

I made a bored look. "You really intend to explode and kill us all, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of." I fell back in surprise.

"Did… did you just _talk?!_" I yelped out, hiding behind the corner.

"Yeah, why look so surprised?" …Honestly, I expected Andy to talk, but… yeah, still not used to having machines talking back at me.

"Uh…"

"Gee-heez, you sound dumb." Well, he's insulting, that's for sure. I made a bored look again. "But then again, you're a weird one, after gay porn and stuff."

"Oh fuck you," I retorted. "I'm twenty three…" I then pouted. "And lonely."

"Ohh… that must've hurt, having all of the guys, but you can't get them to-"

"Okay just stop," I cut him off before I heard footsteps.

"Caboose, what're you yammerin' about?" I heard Sarge ask. "Did you find Lopez?"

"No!" Mikey said before I turned my head to see Mikey and the three Reds. Oh crap. "Someone meaner!"

"O'Malley?"

"Meaner!"

"You found someone meaner than the guy trying to destroy the universe?" Grif asked with a bored tone.

I stood up. "Well, if he was talking about Sarge, then yeah, probably," I shrugged.

"What are you doing here?" Simmons asked.

"I was actually trying to find Mikey," I admitted. "But… I got lost." I looked around. "This place is surprisingly big."

"Tell me about it. We're having a hard time trying to find Lopez."

"Maybe O'Malley took him before he fled," I guessed.

"Well that ain't good…" Sarge muttered.

At that moment, the play back restarted. "Caboose, is that you? Can you hear me?"

"Oh!" Mikey exclaimed before pointing at it. "This! This is someone meaner than O'Malley! And he kept asking the same question over and over again!"

And it repeated the two questions again. "Church," Mikey responded. "I can hear you. Can you hear me?"

I patted Mikey on the shoulder. "I think that's a message Church left for you," I said as it repeated again.

"A message?" Simmons blinked. "But where is he?"

"I think we're about to find out," I said as I held up a finger to press play.

"Wait," until Sarge stopped me, "how do we know if it has enough power to play?" He looked over at it. "I think I can reroute power from the main coupling to the memory storage compartment – so Grif, we may have to use some of your circuitry from your armor's life support system."

I pressed play. "Or I could just do that."

Sarge grumbled. "Killjoy."

The message rewound itself before there was Church on the screen – he looks undamaged (surprising since he was literally in the middle of the explosion), but he has a few scratches. **"Caboose, I know you're there,"** he said. **"I'm leaving this message from two thousand years in the past."**

"He's that far back into the past?" Simmons blinked in surprise.

Wait a minute. Uh oh.

"**Now, whatever you do, don't. Touch. Anything. Apparently, you're this culture's version of the apocalypse," **Church explained. **"You're going to destroy this building and somehow bring about doom for their entire race!"**

Wait, is that even real?

Mikey tilted his head with his arms crossed. "Mmmmmmmmnooo… that doesn't sound like me," he said. "I like people. And buildings also."

Simmons looked over at the regular blue clad man. "Caboose… what did you do with the bomb you were carrying?"

"Oh, I put it on the X," Mikey answered before he pointed behind me, "Like I was supposed to."

Simmons gulped. "Uh oh."

"Uh… I think we'd better get outta here," Grif said, sounding scared. I don't blame him.

Still… Is it too late to try to stop Lav and Frankie from coming in here?

"**Whatever you do, don't touch the glowing weapon thing they have stored there,"** Church added.

Oh crap. Where can I get out of here to stop them?

"**And if you do, definitely don't bring it in to the main building."**

"Crap…" I muttered, looking around. I found a window and looked out. Fuck…! Lav and Frankie are coming!

"What's up, dawgs?" Lav called out with a wave.

"Wait! Don't get in here! Stop!" I called out to them, but they stepped in.

"**Otherwise the whole place is gonna lock down, and you're gonna be trapped," **Church added. As if on cue, the door behind Lav and Frankie closed, and I yelped as the window closed. The other parts of the building closed as well, and the only source of light is the screen.

"Oh fuck…" I muttered.

Mikey turned to the screen, ignoring the rest of Church's message. "Would you stop saying bad things that come true!?" He scolded the screen. "Or… say them ten seconds earlier!"

"Fuck…" I repeated, holding my head.

Sarge got onto the radio. "Tex, this is Sarge. Do not detonate the bomb!"

"**I don't have a detonator,"** she answered, **"it's on a timer."**

"A countdown timer?" Grif asked.

"**No, a count-up timer. It goes from one, to explode,"** Tex said sarcastically before she retorted, **"Of course a countdown timer you idiot!"**

Sarge grunted. "I think we might be in trouble."

I laid on the ground. "Fuuucck…" I moaned.

"Yes… we're fucked," Grif deadpanned. "No need to state it so much."

I glanced at him from the ground. "Grif… we're going to fucking die. For real this time," I said.

Grif was silent. "…Oh."

_**~o~**_

It was total pandemonium. For the past few minutes, most of them were panicking. For some, for good reason.

Because, for all they know, they're going to die in a few minutes.

Well, two minutes to be precise.

Grif sighed miserably. "Just two minutes left…" He had given up trying to eat his way out, and despair had filled him.

Sarge let out a melancholic sigh. "Men, I don't want this to sound pessimistic, but I'm absolutely certain we're all gonna die!"

"That _is_ pessimistic," Erica retorted from where she had been laying. She then sighed miserably. "I never expected that in minutes, we'll all be _dead_."

"Well… can't believe we're hearing that from the master herself," Grif muttered.

"Your sarcasm isn't needed," the woman said bitterly. She then sat up to glare at Tucker. "And quit hitting the damn shutter!"

"I'm trying to see if I can get this open!" Tucker retorted, grunting each word with every hit. "We can hit them to get out of here!"

Sarge shook his head. "No, that would be the coward's way out," he said. "Fruitlessly trying to escape instead of accepting your own fate!"

"No Sarge," Erica spoke up as she laid back down. "There are other ways a coward would go – and while, yes, escaping certain death is cowardly, but its _human nature_ to save your own life. We have a survival mechanism to save our own skin and let everyone else die. Accepting your fate is also a sign of a coward – if you let fate guide your way, you are nothing more than a slave to it. That's fatalism – you believe that things are predetermined and therefore inevitable."

Everyone stared at the woman.

"…Seriously, did you just have one of your moments again? Even when we're about to fucking die?!" Tucker exclaimed, nearly hysterical.

Erica looked guilty under her helmet. "Sorry. I guess a part of me wanted to correct someone one more time before we die."

"Well then _fuck_ fate!" Tucker shouted vehemently (that surprised the woman) before he resumed beating on the shutter. "If we just let fate decide, like you said, then I rather not be one of those people that do! It just sucks!" Then, he managed to force it open. "Ah-hah! I got it-! Oh."

"What?" Erica, Grif and Simmons asked.

"…There's a dome over the fucking building!" The aqua clad man shouted, frustrated.

"What?" Erica sputtered before she groaned. "That fucking sucks."

Still… Tucker brought a point. Erica sat up and looked over at the computer. Should she really?

She looked around. On one hand, she can try to get Gamma (or Gary) to talk to Andy to disarm. But…

The woman looked back at the computer. On the other hand, that would make her suspicious to the others… especially Gamma.

Erica found herself torn – should she just let fate go along (like a fucking hypocrite that she is)… or interfere with the events, and lose the trust she has with her teammates; and possibly get herself into danger.

…On the other hand, she tried to fight O'Malley on her own (and lost). She remembered how badly _that_ one went. But…

The bespectacled female went to check on Andy. And reeled back in shock. Only a minute left!

"Oh shit…! One minute left…" She muttered… but unfortunately, they heard her.

"One minute left?!" Grif screamed. "Oh fuck, we're going to die!"

"Uh…"

"Aaaahhh! I'm too young to die!" Donut screamed, holding his head. "There's still so much that I wanted to do!"

"Like what?" Simmons couldn't help but ask.

"A lot of things! Like-"

"On second thought, I don't want to know," Simmons amended.

Erica looked back. 30 seconds left.

Sarge let out a depressed wail. "We're all gonna die, starting with Grif!"

"Hey!"

"Everyone, get ready to kiss yer ass goodbye! Simmons, you can have the honor of kissing mine."

Erica let out a groan. "Would you shut up?!" She shouted. "We're not going to die! …And I'd rather not have my last moments have that image in my head! I mean… you're old and stuff."

"What?! Why I'd oughta-!" Sarge raised his gun as if to shot her.

Erica braced herself.

And suddenly… they heard a 'pop'.

"Hey everybody, what's up?" A familiar voice asked.

"SON OF A BITCH WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" Erica shouted, jumping back from the cobalt soldier that just… appeared out of nowhere.

"It's a long boring story," Church answered.

"Church! I am so happy that you made it in time to die with me," Caboose said with a smile. "We will get to be smithereens together!"

"Nah, that won't be necessary," Church shook his head then looked over at the computer. "Hey Gary, how ya doin'?"

The computer flashed on and green letters appeared. "NOT BAD," it answered, with an electronic monotone. "ALTHOUGH MY STATIC ION SUB-MATRIX IS A LITTLE ITCHY."

Simmons blinked in surprise. "The computer can talk?"

"The computer's name is Gary?" Grif also asked.

"HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, CHURCH?"

"Good, thanks for asking," Church nodded. "Listen, would you do me a favor? Could you shut off the bomb please?"

"NO PROBLEM," Gary replied. With the bomb, it got to just one last second before it was deactivated.

"Oh thank god…" Erica sighed in relief. _'Though, I could imagine Andy cussing Gary out right now,'_ she thought.

Sarge stared. "…You mean to tell me you could have turned off the bomb this whole time, and you didn't say so?!" He exclaimed. He pointed at the computer. "And don't say I didn't-"

"YOU DIDN'T ASK," Gary finished.

Sarge growled and muttered under his breath.

Church sighed happily. "Man, it is really great to see you guys."

"You seem like you're in a good mood," Tucker noted.

"Well, Tucker, I learned a very valuable lesson in my travels," Church said. "No matter how bad things might seem-"

"They could be worse," Caboose finished.

"Nope," Church corrected. "I learned that, no matter how bad they seem, they can't be any better, and they can't be any worse, because that's the way things fucking are… and you better get used to it Nancy. Now quit your bitching."

Caboose blinked. "…Who's Nancy?"

"I have no idea where it came from but… I think it's a saying," Erica answered, but uncertain as well.

Caboose just looked even more confused.

"…Don't think too hard about it," she said after a while, patting his head. "We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Uh… okay," Caboose nodded before he looked over at Church. "By the way, where have you been?"

Church rubbed the back of his head. "Well… do you want the long version or the short version?"

"I will take the easy version please."

"Oh, I wanna hear the long version," Tucker said. "But can you tell me in three parts?"

Erica rolled her eyes under her helmet. "Eh… I think I'll pass," she said.

"Okay, your loss," Church said.

"Oh, but before I go…" she paused a bit to think over her words – should she directly ask Gary or let Church ask him – before she decided, "can you ask Gary to unlock the shutters and some other areas that are covering this place?"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Church let out before he looked at the Computer. "Hey, Gary-?"

"NO NEED," Gary said before there were a lot of loud sounds. The windows have opened up, the door, and the dome over the building lowered, allowing the sunset to beam over it. "THERE YOU GO."

"Oh, uh, thanks Gary," Church nodded.

Erica looked over at the window. _'Sunset already? Man, did time fly…'_ She looked back at the others. "Well, I'll leave you men alone for now. I better go and find the restroom – I'm no cat." Then she left.

"Thanks for the image!" Church called out to her in sarcasm.

"You're welcome!" She called back, just as sarcastic.

Church made a bored look. Well, he certainly didn't miss her.

The Reds, meanwhile, just watched the spectacle. "…You'd think she's on her period," Grif said.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" Simmons yelped out.

"Oh come on, she's been irritable for the past few minutes," Grif pointed out. "Besides..."

They waited for him to continue. "…Besides what?" Sarge asked.

"…I don't know," Grif shrugged. "I kind of lost it."

"Of course…" Simmons and Sarge muttered, not surprised.

At the corner behind the wall, the woman stood, listening to it all. But, mostly… she was lost in her thoughts. Conflicted, mostly.

Tucker's words rang in her head… and there are also Church's actions in trying to fix things during his time travels – and they all ended in failure. It… troubled her – true she did try to change things… but things still ended up being the same. Is she doomed to fail, as events that were supposed to happen still happen? Is she unable to really change the course of what will happen?

Is she…?

She mentally shook her head. Don't think of that, she scolded herself. Just… think of something else.

But what?

Is she losing her mind?

…Or did she already lost it?

She let out a shuddering breath and walked off.

She needed to talk with Tex.

* * *

**Oh! Crisis with our (sort of) main protagonist! And, unfortunately, she'll have more later on. She seems dull, true... but, her character will develop so much more as we go on. Just... bare with me, okay?**

**With season thirteen unfolding - and a matter of 'oh shit' moments we're having lately... I have a LOT of plans. A lot.**

**Leave a review and have a nice day (or night depending on where you live) everyone!**


	19. Social Skill Work

Season 13 was quite the ride... Now we aren't sure on the fate of the boys of Blood Gulch. Well shit. Here's a new chapter

**Disclaimer: I own none of these guys. Rooster Teeth owns them.**

* * *

_It was dark. I couldn't open my eyes. I have something over my mouth and nose. Whatever it was, it's allowing me to breathe. Breathe…from what?_

_My mind then registered the liquid around me. Am I in water? Hm… I didn't panic like I should. I'm… utterly calm for some reason. A part of me didn't like the part where I'm just _too_ calm. That part is telling me that something isn't right. Have…have I felt this way as well? If so… when? Where?_

_I heard voices outside of the liquid. I can barely make it out._

"…_how can… not… remove…?"_

"_It is… progressing…we thought…"_

"…_shall we do?"_

_They seem to pause._

"…_Keep researching…"_

It took a while for me to register that I had been staring at the stone ceiling for a while. I pushed myself up and looked over at our meager 'campsite'. The Blues (us) are huddled at one said of the room, while the Reds are huddled at the other. Sarge held the shotgun to himself like a teddy bear, Simmons using Grif's stomach as a pillow while Grif has his legs over Frankie's.

Looking over at the Blues again, Mikey held onto Church's legs as the AI leaned against the wall. And Lav… he's sleeping near them. I let out a sigh and slowly stood up and headed out of the door. We all agreed that being near the entrance is a better idea to stay until a map of this place is made.

I got to the edge and sat down, sighing. It's still night time, and it's a New Moon… but it's cloudy. No chance of seeing stars tonight. Leaning forward, I stared down at the Warthog that the reds drove in earlier. It's still in a pretty bad shape, from my earlier fiasco trying to drive it, but its surprisingly doing good…but who knows for how long.

I glanced up at the ocean not far from here. I couldn't hear the waves because of the hum around the building, but I couldn't wonder out there. It may be safe, but I don't want to be attacked by Omega again. I don't want a repeat experience, thank you.

…But it's not like my conversation with Tex about it helps any. If I ever found her. She disappeared as soon as the barriers are down. Out looking for Omega, I'll bet.

I think I'm getting their frustration with Freelancers, now. Tex is the only one who knows about what I know. I couldn't tell the others.

When I thought about Tex, though, a thought came to mind. As I'm slowly getting to know her – and them – I noticed a few things about them all. To think that, back then, I was so anti-social. Being in the, uh, 'army' can really change a person. I'm more active than I once was, and I'm… well, actually, I'm still kind of awkward about talking to people, but I'm getting there.

Back on topic, the 'things' I noticed about them. Other than them being, well, dumb, they have some qualities that makes them 'good' I guess.

Frankie is good at throwing things, hence the reason why he's the Grenadier of the Red Team.

There was a speech Sarge spoke up later (in season eight) and he IS a good soldier. But… well, he's Sarge.

And so many other things… and yet I still don't know them. I was more worried about my own problems that I didn't bother to try to know them. Who were they before they ended up at Blood Gulch? What happened that had gotten them sent there? I want… I want to know more about them.

I could try to make friends with them but I don't want them to know the whole truth about me as well… If I told them on what I know about what would happen from the show, and I had gotten attached to them…

I covered my face, groaning into them. I don't… I don't know what to do…

Okay, let me just change the subject. I should think about something… else…

Wait… is time travel really possible? I know that we didn't really travel to the future…but what about Church? Did he really travel back into the past? Or… hold on. Think.

I went to the Warthog and dug around a bit, finding a piece of paper and a pen. I have to write down on what I know.

Several minutes had been spent on me doodling like mad, trying to figure out on what it is that's nagging at me. Something is entirely wrong with this picture. If I could just figure this out…

I looked over at the mess of scrawls onto the paper. It lists what I know about the show so far, up to where they're at Chorus. But I focus more on before Chorus; I got dropped here before season twelve, so I don't know what could happen to these guys.

I scanned over it for a while, trying to find what it is that made me on edge; something that set off a part of me that felt that it doesn't feel right. To my frustration, I couldn't. I groaned and put a hand to palm my forehead. What is it?! It's bugging me so much; it'll drive me bonkers if I can't figure it out!

Calm down, I gotta calm down.

Groaning, I laid onto my stomach and onto my back. At this rate, I'll never figure this out… I should probably sleep on this. Figure it out in the morning.

Sitting up, I stood up to turn back-

"Out for a stroll?"

"AHH!" I cried out as I jumped back a couple of feet and to the source- and sighed. "God, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Tex chuckled. Then she sounded serious when she said, "But, seriously, you can't be out and about like this. Omega is still out here."

"I-I know that."

"Do you?"

I stared at her. "…What are you, my mom?"

Tex just stared at me.

I bowed my head. "Sorry…" I sighed. "I just… I was thinking about several things."

"Like?"

"A lot of things," I sighed. I sigh a lot, don't I? "Like…" Should I even tell her about what transpired earlier? About the things that were to come? "…Well, you know."

There was silence for a while. "…Well, you do realize that I can't help you with every little thing," Tex said finally.

"I know," I slowly nodded. "It's, well, it's hard. To be honest, you're the only one that I can share my secret with – I… I honestly have no idea on how to explain all of this to the guys. The things that I know that'll happen – do I just… let it happen, or…?"

I bowed my head. Do I… really let things run their course? Or…?

I heard Tex sighing, and I looked up. "Well, I don't have all of the answers" she said. "There are some things that you have to figure out on your own."

"But what if I change something, but that would only make it worse?" I asked. "What if I somehow messed up something and it gets someone hurt? Or worse!"

"…You're really worried about them, aren't you?"

…I am… I'm… terrified. Terrified that these guys will die. They're more than just characters from an internet show – they all have personalities unique to them, and a past that wasn't shown on the show. They all have feelings. Sure they're dumb but… not everyone is for the war.

Without me realizing it, I had gotten attached to these guys. It took me until now to realize that. I sometimes acted like my normal self but… I was also acting like them as well. A member of the Blood Gulch Crew. But… I also feel that I'm not really a part of the gang at the same time.

"…I am," I admitted. "I'm… I'm scared. I..." I looked back at where the guys are sleeping. "I'm worried that I might end up doing something that could have something bad happening to them. The eight of them are… well, they're more than what they're seen from the show. But… I was more worried about what could happen that I didn't really… interact with them much. I mean, I tried, but not like, friends-friends."

"But you got a bit attached, all the same."

"Yeah…" I muttered lamely, nodding a bit. I hesitated a bit. "…I really don't want to think of you as my psychiatrist or something. You're a person too. I mean… even you feel sad, don't you?"

Tex looked at me. "Well, you are right about using me as something to get something off of your chest. Eventually, you will have to tell them."

I bowed my head. "…Yeah…" It really wouldn't be easy though…

"You have all the time in the world," Tex said. "You don't have to decide to get my approval or anyone else's. Even if it's something that you're used to doing."

…She got me there. I sighed again. "I guess you're right."

"Good," she nodded. "Now, get some sleep. I'll take night watch."

"Right," I nodded. No idea what we'll do tomorrow, since it's basically a mystery on when most of the events will take place. But… I guess I can take the time to try to know the Reds and Blues more.

I headed back to the Sim Troopers to catch on some sleep.

Huh, I don't remember what made me anxious earlier.

_**~o~**_

"So… uh…" I droned out.

If Church was a human, he would have given me an odd look. "What?"

I sighed. _'Gee, what a great way to try to begin conversation,' _I thought to myself sarcastically. _'And with Church of all people.' _

I woke up later than I should, and the men had split up, doing their things. I wondered around and I found Church first. I thought that I'd start with him but… well, I'm mentally kicking myself right now for being anti-social now.

I, uh, I gotta think of something now.

"How are you, today?" I asked him. _'Fuck.' _Why did I go with my usual greeting?

Church…stared at me. "Uh… good I guess? What do you want?"

"What? Is there something wrong with talking?" I asked.

"Uh… well, we don't really… 'talk' you know," he said. "You and I, I mean."

"Oh." He got me there. "…Well… I just thought that we'd start over, you know? We got off on the wrong foot back then."

"…What is this about?" Church asked me, suspicious.

"Look, man, I just wanted get to know you," I told him. I noticed my tone before I sighed. "I'm not trying to be a kiss ass. I just… I just wanted to get to know you is all. I wanted to make up for a few things."

"…Right."

…Yeah, this won't be easy. "…At least give me a chance," I pleaded.

We stared at each other for a while. I was somewhat fidgeting as the seconds roll by. Finally, Church sighed. "Fine. At least you're a little bit more… bearable than Tucker and Caboose."

"Thank you," I said. I felt relieved that he would talk.

"But, let's get one thing straight," he spoke up. "I may be giving you a chance, but we're not automatically friends, all right?"

"Okay," I just said. Trust had to be built, not bought or given. That, and it isn't easy to make friends.

I looked around the room for a bit. "So… what do you want to talk about?" I asked him.

"Fuck, I don't know," Church said.

"Oh. Uh, all right," I slowly nodded. "Um… I'll go ahead and leave you alone for now."

"Uh… all right," he nodded back.

I soon left to look for the others. I could _really_ use a map for this place…

_**~o~**_

"Oh! Hi Erica!" I blinked when I looked over at Franky.

"Oh, hey Frankie," I greeted back. Looks like I ran into him while I was being lost. I need at least markers or something. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"Just hanging around," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Um…wondering around. Bored out of my skull." I looked over at him. "So, uh… what do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, like girl stuff?" He asked.

"Well… no," I said. A thought hits me. "…Say, what were you doing before you transferred to Blood Gulch?"

"What I was doing?" Frankie blinked. I nodded. He rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm… I don't know where I could begin."

After that, I spent the next few minutes listening to Frankie going on about his life. Apparently, he lived on a farm with his loving family, playing ball and helping out on the farm – couple probably be part of why he has good arms.

…Though, what surprised me is that he had been doing a lot of wine and cheese hours during field practices, and he ended up at Blood Gulch. Huh. Who would have thought?

"…and that's how I got here!" Frankie finished.

…And, honestly, the rest of what he said was lost to me. "Uh… wow. That's… something." Uh… what else to say? "…Do you ever hated coming here?"

"Well… there had been a few hiccups, like the lightish red armor," it still looks pink to me, but I don't want to spoil his good mood, "but I'm having a blast so far! And some of you guys are nice."

"…right," I let out. "Do you miss your family?"

"Well… I do, but I could try to visit them whenever I could!" The pink clad man said, brightly. "So, it isn't so bad – I think of the others as my family, too."

"I see… thanks for the talk. It was, uh… nice," I said.

"Sure!" Frankie nodded before he went off.

…That went well.

_**~o~**_

I eventually found the others during my walk through here. Though some of them aren't as open as Frankie or Mikey (and I found out that he was trying to get into college and ended up here after a mishap on the moon), eventually they spoke with me. They didn't tell me a lot, but… what little information counts.

Grif and Simmons actually met each other in boot camp where the other Reds were training. They went on a mission with some guy named Hammer, and the guy tried to be a hero…and ended up getting blown up by the Blues. What an idiot.

Sarge's story actually horrified me a little, that he was one of the candidates to be the Sargent of the Reds in Blood Gulch… and he somehow got the other candidates killed, and shot the officer leading them. And, surprisingly, Sarge actually liked Grif at first… until he found out that Grif is a lazy slob. Hmm…I have a faint idea on what happened.

Lav is… actually, he didn't reveal much of himself. Though, he did mention that he was pretending to be a licensed military physician named Dr. Cloitus. …That actually explains why he's a Sim Trooper. I'm actually not surprised.

Though I'm a bit sad that I didn't get to know more about these guys, but… I'll take what I can get. The Reds obviously don't trust me – mostly Sarge because I'm a dirty Blue, yet again, and maybe my own behavior. And though we know each other for a while, Lav doesn't want to talk about himself.

And I can't exactly ask Church again – he doesn't like me. It may have been my own fault, but how can I respect someone if I don't get respect back?

I'll have to come up with something to get them to trust me… or something. I guess things like that take time.

_**~o~**_

A few days have passed after that. Slowly but surely, I'm starting to understand the guys a little better. A little.

Simmons is still nervous around me…but I could see that we have a little bit in common. A little bit. He mentioned something about 'Undertale' – a good 8-bit (or 16-bit) RPG that was actually pretty good for its time…with a rather unusual karma system. It can still be downloaded to this day. Wow. It must have been REALLY good. I should probably play it.

Grif… um, I'm not sure what to do with him, since he isn't much for conversation. Maybe just sit there in silence?

Sarge is… well, he still doesn't trust me, but he doesn't threaten to hit me or shoot me anymore. In fact, it's like he doesn't care if I'm watching him work. Sometimes he told me some war stories. He mentioned something about making a robot body for a ship's navigational AI, and jettisoned from the ship. Huh, he really was an ODST…but that may also explain why he's a Sim Trooper.

Still couldn't get anything else from my own team, and I let Donut fix my hair a little better. I have to admit he has a better sense of fashion than I'll have. Not to mention how to do hair better than I could.

I still chatted with Tex whenever she's around. And, uh, Gamma… I don't exactly trust him. Church mostly spoke with him, so I couldn't really speak to Church with Gamma around. Omega wants me dead, so I don't want to add to Project Freelancer getting more suspicious of me. Or endanger Church.

On this particular day, I was just walking by when it looks like Church is done talking with Gamma. "Uh, hey," I greeted.

"Huh? Oh it's you," he said. Well, he doesn't sound as much uninterested as he was during these days.

"How's it going?" I asked him.

"Well, about as fine as I could manage," Church said. "I didn't get anywhere with Garry on more of the people who built this place."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it," the AI sighed.

"By the way, have you seen the Reds?"

"Why?"

"Just curious." I hadn't seen them all day, actually. Where _did _those guys go? I tried to look for another topic to talk about…but couldn't find none. "…You wanna get back to the others?"

"Yeah, why not?" Church shrugged before we headed off.

As we headed to the entrance (Simmons memorized the place with Tex's help so we had a map in our helmets), a thought came to me. "We haven't heard a thing from O'Malley for a while, have we?"

"Yeah, we haven't," Church agreed. "Nice to have a little peace here. …Well, as much as I could with you guys around."

"C'mon, even you'd be lonely by yourself after a while," I said. I do enjoy some alone time myself, but even I would like some company.

"Nah, I don't think so," Church waved it off. "Hell, I'd considering it a long ass vacation from any of you guys."

…And there it is. Under my helmet, I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

At least we tolerate each other.

We got to where the other Blues are at… to see Frankie chattering away on something. I also noticed that Tex is still staring at Lav's sword. Uh- energy sword. Yeah!

"…Should we even ask?" I spoke up. All I caught was… something about a spandex outfit? Wait. Well, looks like it's time.

Break's over.

Mikey just shushed me. The two of us gave each other a look before we listened to Frankie ramble on.

After what seems like forever, he finished with, "And that's how I saved Christmas!"

Silence went by, before Mikey put his hands onto where his cheeks is located at. "I did not even know the North Pole was in San Francisco," he breathed out. "This changes everything."

"Yeah, and I don't think Santa's suit is a leather biker's outfit," Lav said.

"Hey wait a second," Church let out, "why are we letting this pink guy distract us?"

"I'm not distracting you," Frankie denied.

"Sure," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Let me guess, the others are outside, monkeying about in the Warthog, right?"

"Uh… no?"

"…It was a good attempt," I said. "Go back to the Reds."

"Okay," Frankie dropped his head a little before he left.

Church looked at us. "…You gotta admit, he did distract us for a while."

"Distracting us from what?" Lav asked, putting away the sword – and finally making Tex look away.

"Well, let's go check," Tex suggested.

I shrugged. "Sure. We pretty much got nothing better to do."

And so we went to check.

We got to the outcropping to look down at the Reds. "There they are, messing with the radio," I said.

"Oh, so that's what they're doin'," Church remarked.

"Yeah," Tex sounds suspicious. "They must be plotting something."

"Or, maybe they're just listening to the radio," Church gave his 'girlfriend' a look.

"I know plotting when I see it. That's plotting."

"Maybe they're scheming," Lav offered.

"No scheming looks different," she shook her head. "That's definitely plotting. They're gonna try something."

"Like what, like come up with a convoluted plan that would, as a result, have Grif dead at the end of it?" I asked, sarcastic. "Just to defeat us dirty Blues, and ensure victory?"

Church gave a me a look. "Convoluted? Where did you even hear that?"

"Uh… I heard the word from Simmons," I said. "I think it means 'something extremely complex' or 'difficult to follow', something."

Tex looked at us. "We'll talk about convoluted later," she said with a bored tone. "All I know, is that those guys are up to something down there."

"Other than using the radio?" I asked.

"Yes."

"They are probably trying to tune in to the distress signal they heard on the radio." We looked over at Mikey who was behind us the whole time.

"What makes you say that?" Church asked.

"Oh, I know all the details," Mikey said, waving it off. "They were in their car, the Boss Hogg, when Simmin, heard a distress signal, on, the radio, and Gruff was in the back seat. With a monkey."

I scrunched my face at the grammar. Mine isn't good sometimes but… even that is cringe worthy. And I took English class.

"…I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that some of that is wrong," Lav said with a bored tone.

"How do you know all of this Caboose?" Church asked him.

"Andy told me," Mikey answered.

Oh… that asshole. "Should I even ask who that is?" I asked. "We have Leonard and Lavernius here, as well as Michael."

"And Tex's name is Allison," Church added.

"Oh, here I'll introduce you to him," Mikey said before he leads us down.

…This will be interesting.

Soon, the three of us looked down at the bomb, with Church going back to talk with Gamma. "This, is Andy," Mikey introduced to us. "Andy, this is Tex, Tucker and Erica. Uh, the black one is Tex."

"The Aqua one is Tucker," I said. Been a while since I refer to him as that.

"Andy's the bomb?" Lav asked, confused. He looked at me. "And you're helping him." I just shrugged.

"Uh, Andy prefers the term 'Explosive American'," Mikey said.

"Are you making fun of me?" Lav asked with a look.

"He told me about what the Reds are up to," Mikey said before looking at the bomb. "Didn't you Andy…" The bomb didn't' say anything. "Yes. -and then we talked about, all our adventures, did you know that he used to know Sheila? Isn't that right Andy?"

The bomb still didn't answer.

What a prick.

"Ehm, Caboose, are you hearing the bomb talk right now?" Lav asked.

"Say something Andy," Mikey hissed to the bomb. "You are embarrassing me in front of my friends."

"I wouldn't really call us 'friends', we're more like acquaintances or, people who work with other people they hate," Lav said.

"…I will admit, that is true," I agreed. Then I got an idea. "Hey Gary!" I called out.

"WHAT?" The monotonous voice called back.

"Does the bomb ever talk to you?" I asked.

"THE BOMB? NO. NEVER."

"You sure?"

"YES."

"Well, didn't think so," Church said as he poked his head in with a bored look. "Now, can we just-?"

"Why?" I asked Gary.

"WELL… ANDY AND I ARE NOT ON SPEAKING TERMS RIGHT NOW."

"…Wait, what?" Church looked back as even Lav and Tex looked back.

"CORRECT. HE IS KIND OF A JERK."

"I'm not the jerk, you're the jerk, jerk!" We all looked down at the bomb…that just spoke.

"THAT WAS VERY RUDE."

"Ah, shut up ya Shisno!" The bomb retorted.

"…Welp," I let out after a bit of silence. "At least Mikey and I aren't crazy."

"Wait, he spoke to you as well?" Lav looked at me.

"Oh, you're the chick that came by a while ago," Andy said. "The virgin."

"Oh fuck you," I said with a bored look. I did not miss talking with this guy.

Looks like we're back to the plot, yet again. Yay.

* * *

**Yeah, uh... sorry it's been a while. So much had happened. I moved down to Florida with my parents, so I'm no longer in Virginia for starters. Um... well, the reason why I took so long is because I wasn't sure on how to do this part. Erica isn't socialible and she honestly didn't know much about the boys of Blood Gulch. I have the Ultimate Fan Guide and looking up on a few things to get some information onto them. As well as seeing the episodes where the Reds and Blues of Blood Gulch was first formed.**

**I wanted Erica to react to the things I had already reacted to. I've seen seasons 12 and 13, but I want her to experience it like it's something new. That's why I decided to not update it to leave it at that. Anyways...**

**I put up a poll that either Erica would stay with the Blues and may eventually either go with Tucker on the 'quest' or go with Church back to Blood Gulch... or be 'captured' by the Reds to be taken to Blood Gulch earlier. Make your vote and tell me your thoughts in the Private Messaging to keep the others in the dark. It's more fun, I think.**

**I hope to get another one up. I hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	20. Odd Crowd

The votes are in. But it looks like the Blues have won. They actually won something for once. But, oh well; here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer: I'll never own Red vs Blue. They rightfully belong to Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

"So you're telling me that the bomb can talk," Lav is still incredulous about Andy being able to talk.

"I'm not telling you that," Mikey said before he looked at Andy, "_he's_ telling you that."

"Yeah, and I'm standing right here," Andy said, sounding insulted. "You can talk to me."

"If you could talk this whole time, then why didn't you just…" Lav then realized something. "Wait, why am I talking to a bomb? I'm not doing this."

"What, am I not good enough to talk to?" Andy asked with a tone.

"Andy, you're a dick," I deadpanned. "It isn't exactly… normal to talk with a talking bomb." I looked at Tex. "What the hell did you make him with?"

"Uh…" Tex droned out. Andy mentioned personal items… like what?

"…I'll ask about that later," I rolled my eyes.

"Though, I don't think it's a good idea to piss off the explosive device," Church said.

"I agree," Tex said.

"I wasn't talking about you Tex."

"Hey, why don't you suck my-"

"OKAY!" I called out, holding my hands up. "You two can argue about it later. Let's get back to the point at hand."

"Like, did Gary say anything about the bomb being able to talk?" Lav asked.

"Uh, just that this whole place is going to be destroyed by us, and that Andy here is probably the thing that does it," Church answered.

"I don't think so," Andy then spoke up. "Bunch of shisnos if ya ask me. And no one did ask me which I find insulting!"

"None of us knew that you're able to talk," I pointed out.

"You did!"

"…Okay you got me there," I sighed. "But, I was kind of panicking at the time." That and Gary probably made that up to go into their plan to end the Covenant War. Not like it'll do much, I'll bet.

"But, you two should calm down," Church said.

"Don't tell me to calm down, I am calm!" Andy not so calmly exclaimed.

"You got anything to say?" Tex asked me.

I shook my head. "Nah, too easy."

…I'm still getting used to not saying anything about things like this. Geez, this is some habit of mine.

"Caboose, calm this thing down before it has a meltdown," Church said, while Andy called out, 'Look at me! I'm calm!' as he spoke.

"Andy," Mikey looked down at the bomb, "everyone here is your friend. And no one wants to hurt you."

"Yeah right," the bomb said, sounding like he doesn't believe him.

"Why would we hurt you? That would just lead to a disaster," I said.

"Like what?" Lav asked me.

"Um… like making him blow up in self-defense?" I shrugged. "Something like that." That's sort of logic, isn't it?

"I guess that's true," Lav shrugged as well.

"Anyways, go on, Mikey," I said.

"Okay," Mikey said. "Now, think of a happy place, Andy. Now what makes you happy?"

"Being in the middle of a huge explosion!" Andy exclaimed excitedly.

"Less happy place Caboose," Church quickly said, "less happy place."

"Ah uh…" Mikey tried to think of a different plan. "Um. Try thinking about calming thoughts. Uh… oh, let's count backwards from ten! Ten, nine, eight-"

"NO/DUCK/NOPE!" We all exclaimed at the same time.

"uh… let's-let's see if we can try some other methods," Church quickly said.

Oh boy…

_**~o~**_

I… honestly have no idea what to do here. I don't have any ideas on how to calm a bomb, so I was sent to keep watch for anything. Not like the Reds will do anything other than send Grif out to try to distract us (even though the others are thoroughly distracted by Andy right now). We would be more worried about what will come soon. Soon-ish.

I gave a sigh, bored out of my skull again. I never thought I would be thankful for some 'excitement'. Everything is boring when you just stand around and talk. I'd like to do something other than just sit there. Sit there and listen to the others attempt to calm Andy down.

Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored-

"What are you doing out here?" Oh look, it's Grif.

I gave him a look. "You want to know?"

"Uh… maybe?"

I jabbed my thumb into the other room. "They're in there. But… if you want to know what's going on, see first then ask me."

He seems to be giving a look behind his visor. "…Okay. Whatever," he said as he went in there.

I waited a few seconds of hearing the Blues attempting to calm Andy with their methods (including an attempted knock-knock joke from Gamma) before Grif came back out. "Hi again."

"What the fuck is going on in there?" Grif asked, sounding disturbed. Frankly, I don't blame him.

"Well… turns out the bomb Tex made could talk, and we're trying to calm him down before he explodes – literally – and kills us all," I summed it up.

"…The bomb could talk?" Grif asked, skeptical.

"Eeeyep." I then shrugged. "You're questioning this now?"

"…Good point."

"Shouldn't you go back to your team?" I asked him.

"You aren't going to ask what I'm doing?" Grif asked.

"I would, but frankly, I don't care," I admitted. I already knew but…what the others don't know wouldn't hurt them, right?

"Huh. Makes my job easier," Grif mused before he turned and left. "Later."

"Later." It's odd how I'm casual with these guys now. I guess spending a few days with a bunch of guys can do that to you.

I looked up. Shouldn't this be around the time that Omega attempts his next plan? An army of Spanish speaking robots that move really, really slow. Lopez has gotten quiet sassy and snarky…then again, I don't blame him. He's put up with the shit the Reds and Blues go through every day after all.

But, I should go back in. Surely they're done trying to calm him down, right?

I got up from the wall and headed back inside. "Hey," I greeted.

"Oh, you're back," Church said. Yup, we're still not getting along with each other. Oh well.

"Yup, got bored out of my skull," I shrugged. "So how is it going?"

"I think we're finally calmed down," Lav answered.

"Yes," Mikey nodded. "We are all better now, we are not mad, and we are definitely not thinking about exploding at all anymore."

"Emotionally or physically?" I asked.

"Can I say both?"

I shrugged.

"Hey, are you talking about me?" Andy asked, suspicious.

"What?" Church let out before he held up his hands. "No, of course not. We just wanna make sure that we're all happy, and that we're not upset in any way whatsoever."

"Don't say 'we'," Andy said, "you really mean me. I mean, you, which in this case, is me."

"No no no," Church denied. Think fast Church. "Uh, we're uh, talking about Tex."

"Excuse me?" Tex asked with a tone.

Church leaned to her, whispering something to her for a bit before he leans away. "Yeah, um… I don't know if you've noticed but she's uh…she's kind of a bitch. Isn't that right Tex?"

"Church…" Tex sounded annoyed now.

"I don't know…" Andy said, skeptical.

"Come on Tex," Lav said.

Tex sighed. "Yes. We're talking about me."

"Sounds like you're patronizing me," Andy said with a tone.

"No really, it's me, I'm a bitch," Tex said, with a tone.

Church chuckled. "Keep going."

"And I need to be calmed down all the time."

"Or what happens?"

Tex then 'glared' at Church. "Or else, I get so mad I kill people on my own team."

If Church is a human, he would have gulped. "…I see your point."

"Tell him about the moodiness," Mikey added his two cents. "And the crankiness."

"Also mention that you like to punch people in the head while they sleep," Lav added.

Mikey looked at Tex in shock. "That was you!? I thought the Tooth Fairy was mad at me."

Lav looked at me. "Got a piece?"

"I'd rather live, thank you," I said with a look. I don't want to get bit in the ass by karma.

"Good point."

"Well, she sounds like a real handful," Andy commented.

Then Tex's patience snapped. "All right listen you little noob firecracker-!" She began before Church stopped her.

"Whoa! Hold it there Tex!" He exclaimed before turning to Andy. "See what I mean Andy? Volatile."

Tex turned her head to glare at him. "I am _so_ going to remember this Church," she seethed.

"Not going to say anything!" I said. "I'm keeping my karma level to a minimum!"

"What does karma got to do with this?" Lav asked me.

"If I don't say anything bad, or do nothing bad, something good would happen to me," I answered. "If you do something bad, it will bite you in the ass. It's a matter of _when._"

Lav gave me a look. "…O-kay then…"

"But just in case, you should sleep with your pillow on top. Of your head. Tonight," Mikey said to Church.

He made a motion of rolling his eyes. "Yes, that's very funny," he said, sarcastically, "make all the threats you want. As long as everyone is calm, and peaceful, and there's nothing else to make us excited, I don't care." As if on cue, explosions occurred outside.

I gave him a dry look. "You were saying?"

"Attack, my robot minions!" We heard O'Malley shout from outside.

Church gave a groan. "Me and my fucking big mouth!"

"So what now?" I asked as more explosions occurred outside.

"Uh, j-just stay here with Caboose!" Church said. "Tucker, you and Tex do something about whatever is attacking us while I consult with Garry!"

"Yeah, sure, leave me with the most boring job," I muttered as the three went off to do their things. _'Not like we'll have much problems with the slowest army in history,'_ I mentally added to myself.

At least the Reds don't have to put up with this.

_**~o~**_

The entire Red team sneezed suddenly. "What was that?" Sarge blinked.

"Uh… was someone talking about us?" Simmons blinked, uncertain.

"Nothing bad I hope!" Donut piped up.

Sarge looked around. There doesn't seem to be any more explosions so their enemy is likely distracted. "I think they're distracted," he said. "Let's use this chance to slip away."

"Great idea, Sir," Simmons nodded loyally. He looked at the dash to see the flashing dot on the radio. "I have a lock on the distress signal. We can head right for it."

"Good thinking Simmons," Sarge nodded. "Now, everybody in the jeep!"

"Shotgun!" Simmons said quickly.

"Shotgun!" Grif said a second too late before cursing softly.

"Shotgun's lap!" Donut said happily.

"Fuck!" Simmons cursed.

"There's just no room for four people," Sarge pointed out the flaw to the plan. "Someone will have to jog aside." He looked at Grif. "Grif?"

"Jog? What's that?" Grif asked with a look. He knew what it is but… well, with someone like Sarge, he decided to be an ass.

Simmons gave a look at the fat man of the group. "It's like running, slowly," he said dryly. "Don't you know what jogging means?"

"Yeah, you lost me at running," Grif said, still being an ass. He shrugged. "Sorry, it's not in my contract."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll do it," Donut said. "Just give me one second while I put my jogging shorts on."

An uncomfortable image of Donut in jogging shorts – most likely his short shorts when he's 'office hot pants' that one time – appeared in their minds. "Wait. I want to reconsider!" Grif yelped.

"Who wants to hold my ankles while I stretch out my hammies?" Donut asked as he stretched a little.

"No one's fallin' for that twice, Donut," Sarge said with a bored look.

But, to gain at least a head start, it was agreed that they pile in for now to get a bit of distance from the power plant and…whatever is attacking. It looked like a small army of robots…going so, _so_ slow. And unfortunately, they caught the eye of one of them.

"Let's go men," Sarge ordered.

"One of them is following us," Grif said, looking back a bit.

Sarge gave a bit of a frustrated noise. "We're going too slow! We have to leave someone behind."

"Not it," Grif and Simmons said.

"What?" Donut yelped out in shock. "No way! You're-You're leaving me behind?"

"Sorry Donut," Sarge said, waving his hand a little, "but military law is very clear in regard to the 'not it' methodology for making decisions."

…He isn't certain if that's how the army works to be honest, but Donut didn't say it. "Aw man, there's still so much about the army I don't understand."

Grif looked back again. It made a bit of progress to get halfway to them. "Here he comes!"

Sarge looked at Donut. "Donut, you hide here and wait for the guy tailing us. Then when he passes, shoot him square in the back and watch him die." He looked up wistfully. "Just like John Wayne would have done."

Donut gave a look, not hearing what Grif is saying. "I don't know," he said. "All this retreating, and shooting people in the back, doesn't sound very noble."

"We're not retreating, we're advancing!" Sarge said. "Towards future victory!"

"You mean, like, a tactical retreat?" Donut asked.

"Uh… yeah!" Sarge nodded.

"But how am I going to find you guys?"

"Just follow the distress signal to its source, you'll find us there."

"But I don't have a way to track it!"

Sarge paused. "…Excellent point Donut." And then they took off.

Donut watched them go. "…Well that wasn't nice," he said with a look. He gave a sigh, tapping his foot as he watches the robot painfully slowly advance to him. "…Well, I got time," he shrugged before he walked off.

Wondering around, he looked around before he came upon O'Malley…insulting himself in Spanish. "Oh man, it's that creepy dude!" He gave a look. "I wonder why he's insulting himself. Qué curioso." He then noticed the purple alien vehicle. "Ooh, the scooter!" He glanced around a little before he smiled and got onto it. "Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him!" He then drove off with a whoop.

He even ran over one of the robots too. "Okay! To get to the others!"

_**~o~**_

Bored…

Bored. Bored. Bored.

I gave a sigh. "Seriously, what did I do to be cursed with this?" I asked, standing up.

"Well…"

"Don't start," I said to Andy, narrowing my eyes at the bomb.

"Well right there it is!"

Ignoring him, I looked back to where Gamma is. With nothing better to do, I stood up and went in there. When I went in there, Church is nowhere to be seen.

Looking at the terminal, I asked, "Hey, have you seen Church?"

"HE WENT OUT A LITTLE WHILE AGO," the AI fragment answered. "TO LOOK FOR TUCKER."

"Why?" I knew why but I still asked.

"I TOLD HIM THAT THE GREAT DESTROYER IS A SINGLE BEING WHO WILL COME TO CLAIM THE GREAT WEAPON."

"Uh huh," I let out, bored. "So, how much bullshit are you only going to continue to spout?"

"EXCUSE ME?"

"You expect me to believe that a single person will destroy us all?" I asked, skeptical. "I mean… somehow I doubt a lot of people would care about a handful of soldiers who are out here, mostly standing around and talking. Do you honestly believe that a small group could stop this?"

"WELL…TO BE HONEST, NO. A LOT OF YOU ARE IDIOTS."

"…That, I will agree to," I admitted. "But those men are my idiots. So… if you try to do anything to them, I won't forgive you."

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULD DO SUCH A THING?"

"…A feeling," I answered cryptically before I left. I passed by a screen of sorts, with me looking at it as I go and rounded a corner- I stopped. Wait. I looked back at the screen. It looks… familiar. Where have I seen it before? I walked off, rubbing my chin.

Where have I seen it…? Hmm… I guess I could ask Tex-

Suddenly, it came to me.

I remember seeing it when Tex, or rather the Epsilon version of her, explained to Epsilon about his memories. He remembered everything bad that happened to the Alpha prior to his creation…but not after. Alpha – Church – was hidden in Blood Gulch to keep what Project Freelancer did to him a secret. The person in charge of hiding him was… Agent Florida. Butch Flowers.

Suddenly, I was hit with a brain wave.

All of the things the Reds went through before they became the Reds of Blood Gulch… did Florida do all of this to make Church believe he was human? Not to mention… Private Jimmy.

…I covered my mouth as I came to a horrible realization.

Tex didn't kill Jimmy.

He was dead when Mikey team killed him. Church's 'memories' of Jimmy and of what happened at Sidewinder isn't what he described to us. He either made up his own memories or Florida helped with the illusion as well. Church sincerely believed he's a human… _because he had a human body to help with it!_

That's just… good god!

That doesn't explain why Mikey and Frankie are here, though. Not to mention Kai, who was sent to replace Florida?

We checked the computers… if only we got something from before all of this. The Freelancer personal wouldn't be dumb enough to send other incompetent soldiers to replace Flowers… unless an accident was involved. An accident that caused VIC to be this way…?

…

Nah. That doesn't seem possible. I mean, it could but…

…I…best not overthink it.

But that also lead me to another question. If all of this was merely a simulation…then did Church really time travel? Some of the events that happened were… coincidence. In fact, while Grif and Simmons were trying to give us Frank back, I was trying to look around for a sign of another Church.

…and he wasn't around.

If that's the case… then when Church 'died', what DID I see? Was I seeing things? Did I actually go crazy? I honestly don't know.

What's the point of making Church think he's going back in time? What was the purpose? Church has been broken down enough that he wouldn't make more fragments. And he basically gave up trying on several points of it.

Seriously, I can't comprehend how their minds work.

Especially the minds of other people as well, back on my world.

But, anyway, I better go and find Tex. Mostly because I have no idea what to do right now. Being with these guys gets me bored REALLY easily.

…Though, better than being at home, bored out of my skull as well.

_**~o~**_

I didn't even get outside until I heard explosions. "…And there's the alien," I muttered. I went on to see it, peeking out to see that several of them are destroyed…and O'Malley screaming in horror as the…Sangheili? Yeah, Sangheili – approached him but he quickly ran away, all while grabbing Lopez's head.

Welp, time for me to leave quickly, I thought to myself before I turned around and left.

I hope it didn't saw me.

_**~o~**_

I finally found the Tex and Lav (and somehow Mikey found them too) as they were chatting about something.

"And he says, 'Did I read it? I already ruined it!'," Lav said to Tex. Oh, I remember this conversation.

"That's disgusting," Tex said, disgusted.

"I don't get it," Mikey said.

"…Should I even ask what you guys are talking about?" I asked after a bit.

Tex looked at me. "It's best if you don't."

"Okay."

And cue Church in three…two…one:

"_What…the fuck…was that?"_ He asked as he appeared in his 'ghost' form.

Ten points for me.

"Oh, hey Church!" Mikey greeted.

"Hey," Lav said, bored.

"Huh?" Tex looked at him.

"_Isn't anybody gonna ask, 'What happened to your body, Church?'" _ The AI asked with a look.

"Church… we're not surprised to see you like this," I pointed out. "But, fine if it'll make you feel better."

"What happened to your body Church?" I joined Tex and Lav in asking the question in bored tones.

"What happened to…somebody, Church?" Mikey asked, scratching the top of his head.

2 points for effort, Mikey.

"Hell if I know," Church shrugged. "All I know is that I was sitting there talking to Garry-" no interruptions from Tex this time, "-about the Great Destroyer, who at the time we thought was Tex."

Tex shrugged. "I can't even use the sword, so I'm not the Great Destroyer."

"How'd you figure that?" I can't help but ask her.

"I asked Tucker if I could hold it," she said. "But it didn't work for me."

"Huh," I let out. "Anyways back to you, Church."

"Right, as I was saying, we all thought it may have been Tex, but that's when I turn around and I saw-"

"Saw what?" Mikey interjected. "Saw O'Malley?"

"No," Church deadpanned.

I decided to perk up. "Oh. Right, uh, a little earlier today, I saw who it was that destroyed O'Malley's army," I said.

"You did? Who?" Church asked.

"It was a Sangheili," I answered. At their stares, I looked at them…before I made a bored look. "A blue armored Elite," I deadpanned.

"Oh," some of them let out.

"It's probably the same one that attacked you, Church," I said.

"How come you didn't think to tell me or any one of us?" Church asked me with a tone.

"Uh, I was getting the fuck out of dodge," I answered. "If it spotted me, I would have died."

"But I died!"

"You're a- ghost in a robot body," I pointed out. I nearly called him an AI.

"…Good point."

"How did you fight it off?" Tex asked him.

"Fight it off?" Church repeated. "You must have me confused with someone who's brave. I got the hell outta there."

"You're telling me you left your body behind?" She asked, bored.

"I had to get outta there fast. That body was just dead weight."

"I know the feeling," Mikey nodded knowingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Church asked with a look.

"But, we got a Sangheili to deal with," I said. "We don't know why it's here but if we aren't careful… well, you know."

"So what's the plan?" Church asked.

"Why are you asking me?" I asked back.

"You're the one who pointed out the situation," Church said.

"That doesn't mean that I'm gonna lead the charge!" I said. "I'm not a tactician or a strategist!"

"They're the same thing," Tex deadpanned.

"Whatever," I shook my head, rolling my eyes.

"Well, we still gotta get it," Church said. "For all I know, he's in there chewing on my body right now."

"It's a robot body," I pointed out.

"Do they even eat metal?" Lav asked, scratching his head as he put away his sword.

"I don't think so," I said. "It's an intelligent being. It- or he, she they – have their own culture and language."

"Don't start," Church said.

"Sorry."

"But, in either case, let's go get this alien," Tex said.

This will be interesting.

_**~o~**_

And here we are, standing outside of the building. The plan is for us to wait until the Sangheili gets out. But we stood there for the past few minutes yet it didn't come out.

"Huh… I think that's one fail," I spoke up.

"Yeah," Lav agreed with me. "We haven't seen that alien thing come out, so he's probably still hiding in there."

"Or eating Church!" Mikey spoke up.

No comment.

"All right then," Tex said. "Let's roll."

"Okay… Here we go…" Church let out.

…but we still stood there.

"…Uh, we're not moving," Lav pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Church cleared his throat. "Here we go."

Yet we still didn't move.

"…We're still not moving," Lav pointed out again.

"Does talking count as moving?" Mikey asked us.

"Nope," I answered.

Tex gave a sigh, stepping forward. "All right, screw it," she said. "You guys get behind me, and stay tight."

"Bow chicka bow wow," and there's the catchphrase.

"Never mind, Tucker is in front," Tex said with a bored tone.

"Eh, it was worth it," Lav shrugged.

"Right," I rolled my eyes.

"You two stay out here," Church told me and Mikey.

"Why do I have to stay out here?" I asked, miffed.

"You keep Caboose at bay," he said.

"What the hell am I? His keeper?" I asked.

"Uh… it looks like it," Church shrugged.

I gave a bored look. "…I hope the alien kills you again."

"I hate you too," Church said before he, Lav and Tex went in.

I sighed.

"Um… what do we do?" Mikey asked me.

I looked up. "…How long do you think it'll take for them to run out of here, screaming?"

"What makes you say that?" Mikey asked me.

"There's an alien in there," I answered. "Even a badass like Tex would be afraid of the unknown." That or she had been around us long enough for the 'stupid' to affect her.

"Um… I don't know," Mikey shrugged.

"Well, let's wait and see," I said before we looked at the building.

Not even a minute later, and the three of them came jumping out of the windows and door, screaming in panic or saying 'run!' repeatedly.

"Did we win?" Mikey can't help but asked them.

"Yeah Caboose we won, this is our victory lap!" Lav exclaimed as they ran by us.

"…There it is," I said. I gave a look before glancing back. "…Hey, why don't you go with them, I'll catch up in a bit."

"Okay!" Mikey nodded before he left.

I watched him go before I turned around. "…Let's see if I can get some luck before they do," I muttered.

I mean…surely the alien wouldn't attack me if I'm harmless… right?

I gulped. I sighed. "…I gotta be a masochist for this…" I mumbled before I headed inside.

I poked my head into the hallway and looked both ways. I took in a deep breath as I tried to make my steps as quiet as possible, stepping through there slowly. I peeked into the room looking around-

"Oh, look who's here," Andy said with me jumping with a yelp.

"Oh, Jesus! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I forgot he was there!

"Came in here to cry too?" Andy jeered.

"I can roll you over the hill," I said, squinting my eyes.

"Hey, I'm a bomb, remember?"

"So says a talking bowling ball."

"YOU JUST GOT ROASTED," Gamma picked the time to talk.

"Ah, shut up!" Andy said…while I gave a look.

"…Uh… roasted?"

"IT'S FROM THE URBAN DICTIONARY," Gamma explained. "PERFECTLY AND SOMETIMES COMICALLY INSULTING SOMEONE AT THE RIGHT MOMENT."

"Oh." The more you know. "By the way, have you seen-" I turned my head at the right moment to see the Sangheili. "OH MY GOD!"

"Blargh!"

I stared. "…Uh… hi?"

"Wow. That was good," Andy said, sarcastic.

I stared at him with a look. Then I looked up at the alien. "Uh… look, I know you can understand me, but I can't understand you. Do you have, like, something to translate your language into English? Or something?"

The alien stared at me. "Rwargh."

"…Is that a 'no'?" I guessed. "Just nod if 'yes' – shake your head if 'no'." He shook his head. "…Well that figures." Then again, he may not be expecting humans to be here. Hmm… I looked at Andy. "Hey, uh… Tex made you right?"

"Yeah, with a protocol robot and some of her personal items," Andy said.

"So can you understand what he's saying?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"Then can you be the translator?" I asked him.

"No."

"No?" I repeated.

"Yeah. I ain't gonna be your translator!"

"Oh come on, please?" I asked him.

"After that roast ya give me, I ain't doing it to a salty bitch like you!"

"Try hanging out with the Reds and Blues for as long as I have!" I said. "You'd end up like them!"

Andy went silent. "…I still ain't doing it."

…Someone give me strength. I heaved a sigh.

"Okay. What exactly can I do for you? Nothing humiliating please," I said. It worked with Lopez, surely it would work with a bomb like Andy…right?

"Well…" Andy trailed off.

"THIS WILL BE INTERESTING," Gamma spoke up.

"Blargh?" The Sangheili let out, confused.

…I have a feeling I'll regret this.

* * *

**And regret it she shall. How? ...Not even I know. At least this flowed much better than some of the other chapters I had trouble with. We're in season four folks, just one more and that's the end of the Blood Gulch Chronicles. Season I mean. One more season.**

**If you read the first chapter, you know on where Erica will go after it. But in case you didn't... I'll put that in. Until then...**

**Leave a review if you like it! Flames will be used to set the flames of hell hot enough to melt Rueben Lozano's skin off. Repeatedly for all eternity. You gotta agree, he's a piece of shit father. At least Tucker and Mason are better fathers than him. The Director is a close second to the two.**


	21. Karma's a Bitch

Well, I moved in to a new apartment - it isn't so bad. So long as we have the internet, food, bed and a roof over us. I'll shut the fuck up now and let you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: Red vs Blue are owned by Rooster Teeth. Always will. I own OCs, like Erica, for example.**

* * *

"Ooooh yeah… that's nice," Andy moaned out.

"…This is making me uncomfortable," I said with a look.

"Keep rubbing!" I sighed as I rubbed some wax onto him. Seriously, why would a bomb need waxing? Is this a form of revenge? Maybe this is karma after all…

"All right," I gave a resigned sigh.

"That's more like it."

At least it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Still… where did this even come from? Though, I guess it's best if I don't question it. At least it couldn't get any worse than this-

"Uh…" I jumped and looked behind me…seeing Mikey there. "What are you doing?"

"…Polishing Andy," I answered.

"Oh. We were wondering where you went," Mikey said.

"Well, I'd doubt they were worried about me," I said as I went back to rubbing.

"Well, Church was rather mad since you went in here."

I rolled my eyes. "What else is new?"

"By the way, have you seen the alien?" Mikey then asked me.

Oh. I forgot all about him. "He's around, somewhere," I said absently.

"Like the shadow that's next to you?" He asked. I looked over to see the shadow, and I looked up.

"…Oh."

"Blargh," the alien sounded bored.

"Sorry," I said, going back to my work. "I didn't mean to forget you. Andy, am I even done?"

"You've been rubbing for a minute," the bomb said. "Ya ain't nowhere near finished."

…My arms are getting tired. But I bit back my retort, considering that I consider this as what I owe karma.

"Well… can one of you guys talk with him?" I asked. "Please?"

"Okay!" Mikey nodded.

I tuned the conversation out as I focused on my work. The one thing I learned while being with these guys – and training with Tex – is that tuning everything out is a good thing if you want to focus on something. Besides, I kind of know the song and dance of what's going on…but it's only for polishing Andy.

Seriously, where did he even get these things?

I'm not sure how long I've been rubbing him but then I heard, "HOLY SHIT!"

That honestly made me jump. "What?" I exclaimed, looking around.

And then I saw Church, who stared at me. "…What the fuck are you even doing?"

"…Polishing Andy?" I asked.

"Where did he even get these?" He asked, looking at the waxing kit.

"I stopped questioning these a long time ago," I said. "…That and I'm probably boring the fuck out of our alien friend here."

"Blargh." I seriously wish I can understand him.

"So…he didn't do anything to you?" Church asked me, sounding incredulous.

"Well… he surprised me, that much I can tell you," I said. I looked at Andy. "Am I done now?"

"Well, considering the bitch squad is here, might as well," Andy said.

"Hey, who the hell are you calling bitches?" Church asked with a look.

"You." I can't help but take a jab at him.

"Hey!"

"You are."

"Hargh," the alien said, bored.

"I know, right?" Andy asked. "These guys have always been weird."

Oh, so he now decided to translate? I bit my tongue, because I got enough negative karma points to make things go to shit.

"…Should I even ask?" Tex then asked. Her body is still there, so it looked like she didn't attempt to come in here. Otherwise, I would have heard something a while back.

"For your sanity, don't," I answered. "…Or what sanity we have left."

"Hmm, I'll take your word for it."

"I'm surprised that the alien didn't attack you," Church then said to me.

"I probably bored him out of his mind with what I'm doing," I answered. "That and he pretty much understands US – we don't understand him. It's Lopez all over again."

"Then don't you dare do your shit then!"

"I ain't! I got to the point didn't I?"

The Sangheili gave an annoyed grunt.

"Sorry, it's kind of a part of our charm," I said to Chrunchbite.

"You can understand it?" Church asked me.

"No, I pretty much guessed on what he said." I stood up, and nearly stumbled. "Ugh, my legs are asleep…"

And in comes Lav with his gun out. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Nothing much," I answered before shrugging. "Same stuff, different day."

Then Lav started to gag. "Ugh! God what the fuck is that stench?"

"What stench?" Some of us asked.

"Don't you guys smell that?"

I sniffed the air. "…I think that's us – we haven't bathed in a while," I said. "Well, the three of us."

Lav then started to cough. "No, it smells like a skunk juggling dead hamsters!" He waved his hand in the air. "Whew!"

"…Tex why didn't you pack some soap?" I asked the black armored Freelancer.

"I would but… you know," she said to me.

"Hmm…I guess I would see your point." As soon as we get back to Blood Gulch, I'm taking a long deserved shower.

"Can we get back to the alien, please?" Church interrupted us before jabbing his thumb at Chrunchbite. "…And what the hell were you doing polishing Andy?" He then asked me.

"It was mostly for a favor," I answered. "Andy may or may not be the only person with us who could understand him."

"How'd you figure that?" Church had his hands on his hips and tilting his head a little.

Tex rubbed her chin. "Well, I did make him from a protocol robot, so he would be able to translate languages."

"Wait, seriously?" Church made a motion like he blinked in surprise at her.

"Seriously."

"…Okay, then Andy, can you translate for us?" Church asked the bomb.

"Why should I?" Andy asked.

"Okay, we honestly have no idea why the alien is here," I began – though I know why Chrunchbite is here – holding my hands up. "So…if we help him to make him go on his way, he'll probably leave us alone and we can figure out where to go from there. Like…a way to find the Reds. Or something, I don't fucking know."

"Yeah, as much as this place is the only shelter from where we were, it's starting to suck," Lav agreed.

"That and we're a bit low on food," I added. "We did our best to hide most of our food from Grif, but… well, at least you two are ghosts, so you don't have to eat."

"Yay," Church said dryly.

"Quit your bitching, you should be thankful that you don't have to use the toilet," I pointed out with a look. "Among other things."

"But I still want to taste food, dammit!"

"You're a robot though!"

"It doesn't mean I won't try!"

Okay, I'm ending this. "ANYWAY! Let's just try to help our alien friend here."

"Wharg."

"He wouldn't say 'friends' but he's appreciative of your help," Andy spoke up.

"Whatever works," I shrugged.

"Oh! Are we keeping him?" Mikey asked, excitedly. "If we are, he needs a real name, like Fluffy!"

"Fluffy?" Lav sputtered.

"Fluffy! The alien that only loves!"

"…No," I said.

"Yeah, he's got to have a name," Lav said. "Why don't we just ask him?" He looked at the alien. "Hey alien dude, what's your name?"

"Like, I'm Erica, that's Lavernius, that's Leonard," I said before I pointed at myself, at Lav, then at Church-

And Lav pointed at Tex. "And that's Bitch-pants McCrabby."

"Hey!"

"Well, that's what we call you!"

"Not me," Mikey then spoke up. "I call you Mrs. McCrabby."

"Thanks…" Tex muttered.

"Okay, so, what's your name?" Church asked the alien.

"Hernk Hurnk."

We looked at Andy. "…Well?" I asked after a few moments.

"…Uh…I think we should just call him by what Caboose called him," Andy said.

"Wait, why?" I asked, blinking. I actually wanted to know his real name.

"Trust me, if you hear his name, well…I won't be held responsible for what'll happen."

"Why?"

"Not saying anything else!"

I made a face at that. "…Okay? So… Crunchbite?"

"Yeah, it'll do," Andy said.

"…Okay, so what are you looking for, uh, Crunchbite?" Church asked the Sangheili.

I can't believe we're actually doing this.

_**~o~**_

"Okay, first of all, he says he's looking for something," Andy spoke up after a while. "He's been trying to find it, but it isn't where it was supposed to be."

"What is the something?" I asked.

"A relic of great importance that would be used to help his race," Andy answered. "Apparently it's in a shape of a sword."

I noticed Lav and Tex freezing up.

"Uh…cool, good luck finding it," Lav said awkwardly.

"Yeah… uh, we scanned the place already but we haven't found anything," Tex agreed.

But then, "Uh, but wouldn't it be the thing that Tucker has?" Mikey asked.

"What thing?" Andy asked.

"The thing that Tucker has," Mikey said.

"I know that, but what IS the thing?" Andy asked, sounding annoyed.

I looked between them for a few moments before I held up my hands. "Okay…but Crunchbite, can you promise that you wouldn't try to kill him if we showed you?"

"Wharg?" The Sangheili tilted his head at us.

"Please?" I asked him.

He stared at us for a while before nodding. I looked at Lav. "Uh…see if you can show him," I said. A part of me still think that Lav is still going to get the crap beat out of him, though.

"Uh, okay," he said before he got out the sword, and for some reason he flicked it on.

I honestly kind of expected it, but I still jumped when Crunchbite _roared_ and tackled Lav – the latter giving out a cry of shock at that – and we could only watch as he proceeds to beat the crap out of him. "OW! OW! SOMEONE GET HIM OFF OF ME!" He shouted.

"…Umm…" I looked at the others. "Should we do something?"

"You seriously want us to get between a pissed off alien and the source of what pissed him off?" Church asked me with an incredulous tone.

"Would you rather be down a man and have Mikey and I as company for the rest of your life, with Tex doing whatever she wants?" I asked back.

"…Ugh…" Church groaned. He put a hand to his visor and slid it down. "Fine! Let's break them apart.

_**~o~**_

It actually took us a while to pry Crunchbite away from Lav, and another while to get our aqua clad swordsman patched up. That alien hits HARD – I'm going to have more bruises than back home after this is over. It's mostly from my accidents (or me not paying attention), but jeez.

"Ugh…" Lav moaned out.

"You'll be feeling that in the morning huh?" I asked him.

"Yeah…" He nodded. Hmm, none of his catch phrase? I guess he must be hurtin' a lot to not be able to say it.

But I choose not to comment on it, looking back at Crunchbite and Andy as the Sangheili said a lot of 'blargs' and 'honks'.

…But seriously, the Sangheili don't say those, right? Is that-is that how some of them tries to speak English? Because I'm pretty sure that they have their own language. Hell, other countries on Earth have millions of languages. Different dialects and shit. It's not that I care but… holy shit. Why so many languages?

I forced myself out of my thoughts, in time for Andy to speak up, "Okay he's pissed off right now."

"We can get that. He nearly beat Tucker to death…and nearly beat US to death," I said. "…But, I guess that's on us, huh?"

"Of course it is!" Andy let out. "And since the teal one took it, it's now gone."

"Who's the teal one?" Lav asked.

"You are, idiot," Tex answered with an annoyed tone.

"No way, I'm aqua," he said. "Teal's out."

"…Looks teal to us right now," I pointed out.

Church groaned. "Why say the sword is broken?" He asked, getting back to the matter at hand. "It works fine for Tucker."

"Argh blargh!" Crunchbite let out.

"He says it only works with the hero who passes the trial of the windmill, and retrieves it from its resting place," Andy translated. "For everyone else, it might as well be broken."

…And seriously, how is that a trial? Lav and I just fell down a hole. Granted we weren't paying attention but…

"Trial?" Lav repeated before he waved it off. "Please, I fell in a hole, that's not a trial." There's a grin in his voice as he adds, "I'm startin' to like this culture though, any dude who trips is a hero. I'm pretty sure that makes Caboose God."

I blinked. Why am I getting a feeling that Caboose would be able to find a door that breaks the fourth wall…?

"This all sounds like bullshit to me," Church said.

"No he's right," Tex pointed out. "It didn't work for me, remember?"

"Of course it didn't work for you, you're a girl," Church said. "I mean you can't even work the entertainment center back at the base. Doesn't mean the remote control is mythically attached to us."

I gave a look at Church. "…That's sexist as shit, Church," I said.

"I haven't seen you work on it either," he then directed it at me.

"I was afraid that I would somehow break it!" I retorted at him. "Or make it not work somehow. I may not know a thing or two about computers, but at least I can shoot a sniper rifle better than you can."

I heard a snort from Tex.

"Oh fuck you," Church said with a bit of a tone.

"Nah, you'd probably be pathetic," I said, shrugging. "And if you think you're better, then pick it up and try it."

Church glances at Tucker's sword, then at Crunchbite, who gave, 'hur hur hur hur' at him, as if daring him to try it. After a moment, he said, "Nah, I'll take his world for it."

"That's what I thought," I muttered.

"I heard that!"

Then Crunchbite speaks to us again. And Andy translated: "And now you gotta go with him, to fulfill the prophecy."

Is there even a prophecy?

"Fuck you," Lav said in response.

Crunchbite gave some grunts at that.

Andy chuckled. "Good one." Then he said, "Uh oh, yeah, he…he's not too thrilled about it either."

"Well, this was a bad idea from the start," Lav said with a look. "Sorry to fuck up your quest, dude, but I'm not goin'."

And then Andy adds, "And if you don't go, he'll destroy the base, and kill everybody here."

Welp, that's a deal breaker.

Church looked at Lav. "…Alright well have fun guys," he said with a false joyful tone.

"Hey a quest sounds fun, come on Tucker!" Tex agreed with the same false happy tone.

"Eh, I think he should stay here, because I like that killing everybody option," Andy commented.

"We'd rather enjoy living, thank you," I said with a bored look.

_**~o~**_

The Blues (and Tex) are on the shore along with Crunchbite and Andy, as the alien continued to speak to the bomb.

"Then after we cross the Burning Plane of Honka Hill, we're gonna reach the Freezing Plains of Blarganthia," Andy listed.

"The Burning Plains are next to the Freezing Plains?" Caboose parroted, scratching his head. "I bet there's some pretty wet plains in between."

"This is so dumb," Tucker said with a bored look, "I'm not doing this."

"Hey, news flash, you don't have a choice," Church pointed out, equally bored – even though a half of him agrees that it is getting rather stupid. "You're the one that picked up the sword and locked it to yourself."

"I know!" Tucker exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "And I'm so used to picking up things, and not letting them get attached." After a pause, he finishes with, "…I'm talkin' about women."

"Do you even _have_ a girlfriend?" Erica asked with a bored tone. "Or even get laid?"

Church expertly ignores the two, as Tex said to Tucker, "Don't worry Tucker, we're not gonna send you alone."

"You're coming with me Tex?" Tucker asked hopefully.

"Me? Hell no!" Tex held up her hands. "This is the first thing you wimp have done that actually sounds dangerous."

No comment from Erica. But he did hear a grunt from her.

Tucker then slumps his shoulder a little. "Well I'm not going with Church," he said, "that guy's a worse fighter than I am."

"Well you're in luck then, because I'm not going either," Church corrected.

"What? Then who?"

He just gestures to Caboose.

"No fucking way," Tucker shook his head. "I'm not going with him."

"Sorry but it looks like Mikey is in your party," Erica shrugged.

"Why can't you come with me?" Tucker asked her.

Crunchbite then spoke up.

"Huh? Uh, all right." Andy cleared his throat. "Apparently, there's something about you that isn't right, so he isn't risking you to come along and jeopardize the mission."

"I'm not that much of a screw up," she said.

"Blarg," Crunchbite said.

"Sorry, but it's final. You can't go," Andy said.

For a while, the indigo armored female stared at the alien. He thought that she would complain…but she lowered her head a little. "…Huh. Okay…?"

Again, if Church had eyeballs, he would have blinked.

Erica looked at Tucker. "Well, sorry, I guess you'll have to settle for Mikey."

"This is some bullshit…" He muttered.

"Oh, oh, oh," Caboose clapped his hands in glee. "I hope we meet a Cleric along the way. None of us knows how to heal."

Crunchbite spoke up, and Andy translated, "He says he's a healer."

"Oh good," Caboose sighed in relief.

Andy chuckled. "Not really, they eat their wounded."

"Oh. Just like chiropractors."

Erica looked at him. "What?"

"This is a joke, right?" Tucker began, looking at Church. "You're sending _Caboose?_ What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Church repeated. "I saw a chance to get rid of Caboose and I took it. There's nothing wrong with me."

"And I'm mostly quiet and out of the way," Erica added. "So you may or may not realize I'm there half the time."

That part is true. In a sense, Church supposes.

Caboose tapped his chin. "Okay, so, um, Tucker is a fighter, uh Crunchbite is the healer, and I am the powerful…and intelligent, wizard. Morphumax."

"What the hell does that make me?" Andy asked.

"You're the good looking and stealthy archer," Caboose answered.

"A bow and arrow- I don't have any arms, you freakin' moron!"

"That is what makes you so stealthy." Caboose leaned back to look up at the sky. "This is going to be the best party ever."

"…Uh… I think Andy would be more of a mascot…one of those that can actually do something other than 'Hey! Listen! Hey! Listen!' all the time," Erica said. She then seems to think about it. "And Lav would be more of a swordsman, and Crunchbite…a battle mage that heals. That makes more sense."

"You can nerd out about it later," Church told her.

"I play video games, I'm not one of those extreme nerds who play board games like Dungeons and Dragons," Erica said back.

Tucker groaned. "I'm gonna fucking die."

"No you won't," Erica said to him.

"Of course I will!" He retorted. "Like hell Caboose can help protect us!"

"Well, then I guess this is it Tucker," Church said, patting him on the shoulder. "Nice knowing ya!"

Tucker gave a look at him. "You better hope that I don't die, because if I do, you're the one taking care of my kids."

Church blinked. "You have kids?"

"Probably," Tucker shrugged.

"…Do you?" Erica questioned.

"Shut up," Tucker said hotly.

A few minutes later, the odd motely group of two humans, a bomb, and an alien gathered what they can. Church was lucky that Tex managed to get the coordinates to where the Reds are going before they left (how she does that is a mystery even to him; then again, Freelancer), so they wouldn't have to be stuck here. She also has it implanted into Andy just in case something goes wrong in their mission. But knowing them, things are bound to go wrong.

"Well, good luck guys," Church said to them. "Don't forget to change your underwear at least once a day." He looks at Tucker. "Tucker, that goes double for you."

"What? I'm the cleanest guy here," Tucker said.

"No, it goes double for you because now you're in charge of changing Caboose as well."

Tucker stared at him. "I hate you."

"Blorgh!" Erica jumped at that.

"Jesus Christ you scared me!" She yelped out, with Andy laughing.

After he was done, Andy translated, "He doesn't wear any pants."

"Yeah, we noticed," Tucker deadpanned. "If we meet anybody on this adventure, that might have to change."

"Why, we're used to being naked," Andy continued for Crunchbite. "Free-balling, come on! Commando."

"Could you please be quiet?" Erica asked, keeping her eyes up. "I don't want to add any more images. And besides, I'm not a perv, like Lav and Tex."

Case in point, Tex staring at the southern region of the alien, with her jerking.

"Huh what- oh, fyeah," Tex began, sounding flustered. "Uh- I was just admiring his, his alien, muscle structure."

"Yeah one particular part of his muscle structure," Tucker said.

"Well that's just a matter of penis-" then she realized what she just said. "I mean opinion. Opinion. That-that's just…"

"Smooth," Church let out, bored as Erica snickered.

Too bad that she had to be mother hen earlier by telling Caboose that it's not a 'third arm', like they said, and carefully explained to him about the penis. Then she lectured them about abusing the poor guy about things like that. Caboose was asking for it with how dumb he is.

Church shook his head and took Tucker aside. "Tucker come here, I want to talk to you for a second."

"Okay, about what?" Tucker asked.

"Listen, just drop off this weapon, and get back to Blue Base as fast as you can," Church instructed.

"What if I have to kill stuff dude? I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"Hey now Tucker I'm the same way," Church said, waving his hand a bit. "That's why we get along so well. We're both just a couple of lovers."

Tucker stared at him, just as he realized what he just said. "That sounded kinda guy dude."

"Yeah it did," Church agreed, sheepish. "Uhm…I feel obligated to say something encouraging as your boss-"

"Our Captain died," Tucker pointed out. "You're just the guy pretending to be my boss."

"We, you know in our given situation technically you could be seen as one of my employees-"

"Except that I'm not."

Church can feel annoyance coming up. "Echch, whatever! Listen, I just, as, as someone in an employee/manager relationship-"

"Which doesn't exist."

Church palmed his face and groaned.

"…Why did you pull me aside again?" Tucker asked him.

"You know I'm sure it was to say something inspiring or, something but now, I just don't care," Church said, annoyance evident in his voice.

Tucker stared at him before backing off. "Yeah, Imma gonna go man," he said, before he went off to where the other three are.

"Huuuuuuur!" Crunchbite called out before they left.

"Hey ladies! Come on, hustle up!" Andy called out. "If you gotta use the bathroom, do it now because I'm not pulling over."

Sure enough, the four of them are gone, and a few minutes later, the sounds of waves rolling are the only thing heard.

"…And they're gone," Erica said after a few moments of silence.

Church gave a look at her. "You just had to ruin it." She shrugged. He looked at Tex. "But, you know I have to say I'm a little surprised that you're not going with them."

"Why? Quests are dangerous," Tex said.

"Yeah but they usually have some kind of big reward at the end you know like some, big treasure chest or, an entire room filled with gold and art," Church listed off. "It's not really like you to pass up on something like that Tex."

There was silence.

"…Tex?" He called out.

"Uh…she kind of left," Erica said, as Tex is indeed gone.

Church sighed. "I really should have seen that coming."

Erica shrugged. "Well, Tex is Tex without her perks," she said. "But let's get out of here. We got a long journey ahead of us."

Church sighed again. "Just-just don't talk too much."

"Okay. I don't talk much at all sometimes."

At this point, Church doesn't care. They soon headed off towards the direction where the Reds went.

_**~o~**_

The whole time we were walking back to Blood Gulch, I was thinking about how Crunchbite wouldn't let me join the quest. I mean, I'm somewhat capable, but I'm still a sim trooper. Though…I couldn't help but find it strange that the Sangheili wouldn't let me – was there something about me that Sangheili don't like? Did Gamma say anything to him about me? I'm not sure, and this is going to bother me for a while.

The walk was mostly silent, but for both of our sakes I kept quiet…but unfortunately, my thoughts aren't so quiet. Because of the helmet I wear, I glance over at Church every now and then. We don't get along as much, unlike how I got along with Lav and Mikey, and some days Tex. Some of the Reds warmed up to me (not all the way for Simmons though) but… most of the reason why is because…

I knew that Church will die. Alpha anyway, followed by the Director…but what about Epsilon? The Alpha AI and his fragments are old, they wouldn't live much longer, would they…?

The Alpha had had his psyche torn up to the point he's reduced to…this – an angry, bitter shell of his former self. Everything he felt, experienced and such filled in the 'holes' in the void to have him unconsciously remember what those feel like. Because he was using Jimmy's body, he remembers how those felt.

And he died believing that he was a ghost. Getting to know Church…I can't help but feel sorry for him, but I had mixed feelings about the _real_ Leonard Church, who Alpha is made after. When Tex was 'born' she was told that she was a human, and made into an agent. It gave him an idea to try to do the same…but couldn't. So they had to fracture the AI's mind. To derive Alpha of them to make more…I can understand it's to research more onto aggressive AI, to find out how to handle Rampancy better. The logical part of me anyway…but… the emotional side is disgusted of this torture.

There's nothing wrong with having emotions, it helps remind you that you're a human, even if it can sometimes rule your judgement. But there's also nothing wrong with having reason, it keeps you from doing reckless things, but relying on it too much would make you seem like a robot. No matter how good you are at something, you're still human. We have limits – so do machines. Eventually they break. Some people don't even get that. Nothing can be 'perfect'.

And the whole time, the Director had been trying to have Tex be the Allison he remembers…but he also failed in that, because the last thing he remembers of her is of the last time he saw her. That he failed to stop her…or she failed to come back alive. Things happen in life and we can't do something about it… but…

Memories are what makes us who we are…but at times, they could also hold us back. Only if we choose to let them hold us back.

It's hard to let go and move on – it's a long and difficult process to heal from wounds that cuts you into your soul. People can choose to heal with help…and some don't.

People are so weird and so…complex. I hardly understand them, including myself.

I glanced at Church again. Right. Back to the main point.

It's because of the fact that Church will die was why I didn't bother trying to get along with him. To not let myself get attached…but I instead got attached to Lav and Mikey. If those two die…I'm not sure on what I'll do. But what about Tex? Even if she knew on what would happen from within my mind, not even she will be able to escape.

My logical part of me knew it…but the other part of me wanted her to survive somehow.

Thinking of the events at Zanzibar…am I really powerless to alter fate? …No, I'm not all that powerless. Even if I do know of what may happen, I can't really stop it, true…but maybe what matters most is me lessening the damage that would be dealt with. Knowing about what may happen and experiencing it are two different things.

I glanced at Church again.

…Maybe it's best if I focus on the 'now' and worry about 'then' later. I'll end up having more grey hairs than my dad at this rate. Or anyone else.

I heaved a sigh.

"What are you sighing about?" Church asked me. It had been silent for a while, so it kind of startled me.

"Uh… my mind is kind of mean," I answered. "I think too much, and I mentally brood too much."

Church gave a sigh. "If only you went with them," he muttered.

…Seriously, the Reds don't have to put up with this. Do they? Well, whatever, I don't give a shit anymore about this.

"…Are we there yet?" I asked.

"Not yet," Church said.

"Okay." I shut up after that. I don't want to be that person.

…How long have we been walking? I have no idea; I didn't see the time before we left. That's on me. I just gotta stay quiet and bear with it.

_**~o~**_

After what felt like hours, we found a large stone wall. Not only that, we found tire tracks as well, leading up to it. Considering that it's in the same direction as the signal came from, we followed the tracks the rest of the way, and we found the opening. Once we went through the tunnel…

We found ourselves in Blood Gulch.

"Oh my fucking god," Church muttered.

"…Well, it's better than where _we're_ hanging out at," I said.

"…True. But the place looks a little different."

"The grass grew in a few places, the bases looked different…but it's still the same."

"Yeah, that's true. Let's check on Blue Base first." And Church began his decent down to the canyon.

I looked up and around it. It's only been a few months since we're gone. And the other guys of Blood Gulch are dumb enough to believe that that we did time traveled.

Though sometimes 'dumb' is good.

After a moment, I said, "Right…" and I followed the de-facto leader down. We got to the entrance and we heard voices. We glanced at each other before we actually did something rather smart: we slowly snuck in there, with the voices getting a bit louder. It wasn't long until I recognize one of them being Sarge. And the other being Simmons.

I stayed behind to let Church go on, as Sarge said, "Well, it hurts me almost as much as it hurts you."

"I don't buy that either," Simmons deadpanned.

Sarge or even Simmons aren't aware of Church slowly approaching Sarge from behind, as the older Red sighed. "Well I am the one who has to clean the shotgun later, and those solvents smell so-"

"Booyeah!" Church exclaimed, smashing the butt of the sniper rifle at the back of Sarge's head. The red made an undignified sound as he hits the ground.

"Ooh, the back of your head," Simmons winced.

"Well that was close," Church said, lowering the gun and sounding rather pleased with himself. "I've always wanted to say 'booyeah' too, that was awesome."

"Really?" I deadpanned as I emerged. "Well, at least we knocked him out.

"Wh-where the hell did you guys come from?" Simmons sputtered. Clearly he hadn't expected to see us.

"We just got here," I answered. "Should we even ask on what's going on here?" I glanced at Sarge, as he groaned. "Church, hit him again." And he did, with Sarge groaning again. "Thank you."

"Anyways, you must be one of the new Blues that took over our base after we left," Church said to Simmons. He held up his hand. "Listen, don't be afraid, but the two of us are from the past."

"Why would I be afraid of someone from the past?" Simmons questioned. "People from the future are scary. People from the past are savages and idiots."

"…Well I can agree with that last part," I said with a look. I looked at Sarge. "…Maybe it's best if we can just load him onto the jeep and get him the hell out of our base."

"Why? We can keep him prisoner in this hole," Simmons said, gesturing to one of them.

"We have holes now? That's awesome!" Church admitted.

"Yeah, but they clearly lost this, so it's better if we put them onto the jeep, drive them back to Red base and just leave them there," I said. "…And maybe steal their jeep back as well."

"…I think I like that idea better," Church said. "Let's do it."

"…Just like that?" Simmons asked, confused.

"Hey, we're not **that** vicious," I told him. "A little kindness can go a long way. You should take it to heart, soldier."

"Hey, help me get him to the jeep," Church told me.

"All right," I nodded.

"Uh, I'll go check on the other prisoner," Simmons said. "There's another one down in the hole. So…I'll leave you guys to it." He then left.

After he's gone, I looked at Church. "Are you really fooled by that?"

"Nah, not really," Church shrugged. "I knew it was Simmons right off the back."

"Yeah… I can tell just by the voice and some maroon patches on his armor," I nodded. "Seriously, who does he think he's fooling?"

Church nodded. After a moment, he asked, "Wanna troll on him for a little while?"

"…You go have fun," I said. "It's compensating for how boring Zanzibar is."

"You're a stick in the mud."

"I don't have a mean bone in my body," I shrugged. "I can be selfish, but I can't hide my intentions pretty well. That's why I never pranked anyone."

"Oh, well, then we'll have to fix that later," Church said. "In the meantime, help me get Sarge onto the Warthog."

I shrugged. "I have nothing better to do."

We're back in Blood Gulch, whether we like it or not.

* * *

**So Erica is at Blood Gulch, hanging out with Church and Simmons for a while as the rest go on a 'quest'. We all know how well that one will be. Though, for some reason, the alien (aka Crunchbite) wouldn't let her go with them. Hmm... I wonder why. Well, I know why but I won't tell you guys.**

**No spoilers. I did that too much for me, but I ain't doing it to you. I'm not that kind of person.**

**Leave a review if you liked this chapter. Any flames I get...hmm, what to do with them. Eh, whatever, I'll just give them as ammo to someone else. Flames are pointless.**

**(...And oh fuck, I'm starting to be like the Blood Gulchers.)**


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